d Polly, very quietly, as she pushed her chair out of the arctic
circle of Miss Perkins, into the temperate one of friendly Emma.

"But how shall we learn that? I don't see what we girls can do, more
than we do now. We have n't much money for such things, should n't know
how to use it if we had; and it is n't proper for us to go poking into
dirty places, to hunt up the needy. 'Going about doing good, in pony
phaetons,' as somebody says, may succeed in England, but it won't work
here," said Fanny, who had begun, lately, to think a good deal of some
one beside herself, and so found her interest in her fellow-beings
increasing daily.

"We can't do much, perhaps, just yet; but still there are things left
undone that naturally fall to us. I know a house," said Polly, sewing
busily as she talked, "where every servant who enters it becomes an
object of interest to the mistress and her daughters. These women are
taught good habits, books are put where they can get them, sensible
amusements are planned for them sometimes, and they soon feel that they
are not considered mere scrubs, to do as much work as possible, for as
little money as possible, but helpers in the family, who are loved and
respected in proportion to their faithfulness. This lady feels her duty
to them, owns it, and does it, as conscientiously as she wants them to
do theirs by her; and that is the way it ought to be, I think."

As Polly paused, several keen eyes discovered that Emma's cheeks were
very red, and saw a smile lurking in the corners of the mouth that tried
to look demure, which told them who Polly meant.

"Do the Biddies all turn out saints in that well regulated family?"
asked the irrepressible Trix.

"No; few of us do that, even in the parlor; but every one of the Biddies
is better for being there, whether they are grateful or not. I ought not
to have mentioned this, perhaps, but I wanted to show you one thing that
we girls can do. We all complain about bad servants, most as much as if
we were house-keepers ourselves; but it never occurs to us to try and
mend the matter, by getting up a better spirit between mistress and
maid. Then there 's another thing we can do," added Polly, warming up.
"Most of us find money enough for our little vanities and pleasures, but
feel dreadfully poor when we come to pay for work, sewing especially.
Could n't we give up a few of the vanities, and pay the seamstresses
better?"

"I declare I will!" cried Belle, wh