ready beneficence, but
indirectly by their sunny benignity, to light up the gloomy world of
Lazarus." And though I was but a budding theorist in human nature, and
often made mistakes before and afterwards, I never found myself mistaken
there.

When Julia came in an hour after, she said to me, as I looked up from my
roses and my rose-colored revery, "Katy, you look like an inspired
sibyl! What has come over you?"

"Miss Dudley," said I.

"What! has she really--been here? How I wish I had seen her! What did
she wear?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you. Wait, I will try. O yes! it comes back to
me;--a silver-gray _shot_ poplin, or silk, made full, but, I think,
quite plain; a large red Cashmere shawl, rather more crimson and less
scarlet than they usually are,--it glowed gloriously out from the
gray;--then some kind of a thin, gray bonnet, with large gray and
crimson crape and velvet flowers in it,--hibiscus or passion-flowers, or
really I don't know what,--that seemed just to marry the dress to the
shawl."

"Pretty well for you, Katy! Rather heavy for the season; but I suppose
she was afraid of this east wind. You liked her, then?"

"Very much."

"So does the Doctor, always. Some people call her proud; but he says,
that is only their way of expressing their view of the fact that she has
a good deal to make her so, and more than enough to make them so, if
they had it instead of her."

"I dare say. I should not think she was a person to take liberties with;
but she was very sweet and kind to me."

"You are not a person to take liberties with anybody, nor to have any
taken with you; and so _I_ dare say she recognized a kindred spirit."

"Now, Julia, by your paying me such a compliment as that, I am certain
you must want to have your bonnet taken up stairs for you; and so you
shall."

"Ah! now I shall always know what string to pull when I wish to put a
skilful attendant in motion. Phil would take my bonnet up stairs for me
in a moment, if I bade him; but when I went up myself after it, it would
be sure to stare me in the face, topsy-turvy, _dumped_ bolt upright on
the feather."

CHAPTER VI.

In another fortnight we had another Physick in the family. His papa
called him "a little dose," and his mamma a "pill," in contradistinction
to her previous "Phil." Proving peaceful and reflective, he also soon
earned for himself the title of "the infant _Phil_osopher."

Mrs. Physick did not like the society of Mrs. Ro