t ever being
weary or discontented. She taught me her own ways, and she was noted
through the whole town, for her industry and neatness. She was a good
christian too, and she brought me up to fear God and to love his
service. She had one child--an only son, two years younger than myself.
He was sometimes wild and wilful, for his mother, though she was resolute
with every thing else, could never deny him. He was sometimes as I said,
wild and wilful--but when he was himself, he was the pleasantest lad in
the village, and the best. Mrs. Gordon was as a mother to me; and you
know it was natural I should love her son Richard; and I thought I but
loved him as a sister should, till one Sunday I saw him come up the
little path-way that led to our cottage, with a blue ribband bow in
his hand, which he kissed again and again, and then thrust it into
his bosom. I knew it was a love token from Sally Wilton the miller's
daughter, for I had seen it that day in her hat, and I felt a pang at
my heart, that told me it was not as a brother I loved Richard.

"I have skipped over many years, for I would not weary you. I was now
one and twenty, and my draft on Mr. Leslie was due. Mrs. Gordon began
to talk to me of marrying Richard. I only answered her with silence and
tears; but one woman can read another's heart, and she knew what was in
mine; and she, poor woman, thought to make all right by taking it into
her own hands.

"It so happened one night, that I was in an adjoining room when she
supposed I was absent from the cottage, and she put many questions to
Richard about me, but she could get no satisfaction from him. She then
told him (oh, at the moment I thought I could never forgive her for it)
she was sure I loved him. She said much in my favor, ma'am, that I
cannot repeat, and tried with it all to put a veil over my poor ugly
face, and then concluded with saying, for she was a thrifty woman, and
never lost sight of the main chance, that I should not come empty
handed. At this his spirit rose--he said, he would not be bought by all
the gold in the king's coffers. My heart rose to my lips, but I held
my breath, for his mother grew very angry, and said something from
Solomon's proverbs, about my being the virtuous woman whose price was
far above rubies. Then Richard burst into tears, and said he knew that,
and he would go round the world to serve me, but he could not marry me.
He confessed that he had already plighted his truth to Sall