onsider our
house as your home for the future. You know not," she continued, "how
glad I am of your company, and how your presence cheers us; we will
gladly adopt you as our daughter, if you can be happy with us."

I thanked her with tears in my eyes, and added that I was very happy in
receiving so warm a welcome to their home, and would gladly do my utmost
to fill a daughter's place to them. I further informed my aunt that I
should be very happy to consider her house as my home, but that I should
prefer teaching, as soon as I could find a desirable situation, as such
had been my intention when I left Philadelphia. But when I mentioned the
subject to my uncle, he seemed much hurt that I should think of such a
thing. I told him that the wish to teach did not proceed from any
feeling of discontent in my home, but that I thought it wrong to remain
idle, while possessing an education which qualified me for usefulness.
He replied that if I felt anxious to teach, we would talk about it the
following spring; but, said he, you must think no more about it for this
winter, at any rate; and so the subject was suffered to drop.

We led a very quiet life at my uncle's that winter. We saw but little
company, except that occasionally the wife of some neighboring farmer
would drop in to take a social cup of tea with my aunt.

There was a maiden lady residing in the village of Littleton who was
always a welcome visitor at my uncle's residence,--her name was Miss
Priscilla Simmonds. She was somewhat advanced in years, and of a very
mild and prepossessing appearance. Upon the death of her parents, which
took place many years before, she was left the owner and sole tenant of
the house in which she lived. She lived entirely alone, and was
considered a very valuable person in the village. She seemed, upon all
occasions, to adapt herself readily to surrounding circumstances. At
merrymakings, no one was so lively or social as Miss Simmonds: in the
chamber of sickness, no hand so gentle and no step so light as hers; and
when death visited a household, her services were indispensible.
Although occupying a humble position in life, she was very much
respected by all who knew her. Very few there were in the vicinity but
could recall some act of kindness from Miss Simmonds, rendered either to
themselves or their friends; and many there were who could remember the
time when her hands had prepared the form of some loved relative for its
last resting