ght were taken off our minds, now that we
are at liberty to use our powers for our own support, instead of being
burdensome to others. You have long known and enjoyed this feeling;
to us it is new and inexpressibly delightful. For the future we have
no fears, and no further desires than to go on living as we are living
now, only with the additional satisfaction of seeing that our
endeavours to be useful are not in vain. Think what it will be, dear
Charles, to send our pupils into the world with firm principles,
cultivated minds, and amiable manners, fitted to perform their duties,
and to do good in their turn. Is not this a satisfaction worth
working for? Is not this an end worthy of all our pains, of the
employment of all our powers in its accomplishment? Our heavenly
Father has blessed us in various ways, in so many that it makes my
heart swell with gratitude to think over the few years of our orphan
life, and our present situation: but surely, if He makes us the means
of administering religious and moral blessings to others of His
offspring, his _last_ will be his _best_ gift. If we can always feel
this, we shall be always happy; but we must not expect that it can be
so. We shall meet with much disappointment: we shall have to lament
the ill success of our labours in some instances, and, in all, shall
feel occasional humiliation that we have not done more, instead of
complacency that we have done so much: besides, there is a kind of
ardour and enthusiasm in us just at present, which will subside in
some degree after a time, and make us more painfully aware than we are
now, of the difficulties and labours of our employments. We are,
however, abundantly happy at present, and full of hope for the future.

"One reason why I write to you to-day, instead of at the regular time,
is, that you may know, as soon as possible, that Alfred has gained
great honour at the school examinations this week. He has taken his
place pretty high in the next class, and when Mr Barker called on Mr
--, to settle the school-account, he was pleased to hear very high
praise of Alfred. Mr Monteath is very kind to him: he asked him to
dinner last week, and made him very happy. Alfred likes the idea of
being in the warehouse much, and I am glad he knows what he has to
look forward to. I have heard, through the Miss Monteaths, of two
more pupils who are to come to us at