e of her brother's death, and the cruel treatment of
her father at that time, she had never grown in any degree as she ought;
she was short, stout, and of a pale and very plain countenance. It could
not be now said that she was deficient in mind, but she was slow in its
operations. She displayed, indeed, a more than ordinary depth of
reflection, and a shrewdness of observation, but the evidences of-this
came forth in a very quiet way, and were observable only to her mother
and sister. To all besides she was extremely reserved: she was timid to
excess, and shrunk from public notice into the society of her mother and
sister. There was a feeling abroad in the neighborhood that she was "not
quite right," but the few who were more discerning, shook their heads,
and observed, "Right, she was not, poor thing, but it was not want of
sense; she had more of that than most."

And such was the opinion of her mother and sister. They perceived that
Nancy had received a shock of which she must bear the effects through
life. Circumstances might bring her feeble but sensitive nerves much
misery. She required to be guarded and sheltered from the rudenesses of
the world, and the mother trembled to think how much she might be
exposed to them. But in every thing that related to sound judgment, they
knew that she surpassed not only them, but any of their acquaintance. If
any difficulty had to be decided, it was Nancy who pondered on it, and,
perhaps, at some moment when least expected, pronounced an opinion that
might be taken as confidently as an oracle.

The affection of the two sisters was something beyond the ties of this
world. Jane had watched and attended to her from the time of her
constitutional injury with a love that never seemed to know a moment's
weariness or change; and the affection which Nancy evinced for her was
equally intense and affecting. She seemed to hang on her society for her
very life. Jane felt this, and vowed that they would never quit one
another. The mother sighed. How many things, she thought, might tear
asunder that beautiful resolve.

But now they were of an age to obtain work in the mill. Indeed, Jane
could have had employment there long before, but she would not quit her
sister till she could go with her--and now there they went. The
proprietor, who knew the case familiarly, so ordered it that the two
sisters should work near each other; and that poor Nancy should be as
little exposed to the rudeness of t