was finished, and Madame dismissed me; so I went into the garden, and there I found that sly little thing, sitting on a garden bench, with six plants in pots standing before her. There were two polyanthus plants, with flowers nearly as black as Belle's; and two lovely purple auriculas; and two other plants, that I did not much notice because they were not in flower." "Oh,' I exclaimed, 'so these were the plants that the man brought! Why did you not say so to Madame ?'

"She looked confused, but only said, 'I did not know that I ought.' I said, I knew that the man had been ordered to call, and that you would all be dreadfully disappointed to find him gone. So, she looked up and said, "He told me he could not wait; but that does not much signify, for he had only these two polyanthus plants, and I have bought them; besides them and the auriculas, and these cyclamen flowers, there was nothing in his basket that was worth having. I gave 4s. 6d. for these, and he took away nothing but some fading hyacinths, and some common plants, such as they have got. It would have done no good to detain him; and, besides, he said he could not wait.'

"Oh, of course,' I said, 'if you had chosen all that was worth having yourself, it was no use detaining the man.'

“Indeed, I did not send him away,' she replied; "he said he could not wait.'

"But,' I continued, 'I am afraid they will be very much disappointed, for they have been expecting this man for weeks; and I know they particularly wanted some of those shuttlecockflowers, and some auriculas.'

་

"The man said he expected to sell them to the young ladies,' she answered; but as they were out, and he would not wait, I thought'

"Oh, yes,' I interrupted, for I was disgusted at her selfishness, 'I understand perfectly-as they were out, you thought you might as well have them yourself.'

All this Miss L'Estrange told us as we advanced towards the house, and we were in the full eloquence of regret and indignation when, at a turn in the walk, we saw Miss Palmer on a garden seat, with all her purchases before her.

She started up when we appeared, and advanced hastily to meet us; but the moment she observed Miss L'Estrange with us, shrunk back again, and, lifting up her garden apron, began to knot the corners, and twist them with an agitated face.

That our man should have been suffered to depart before we had seen him, and that all his best plants should have been picked out by a stranger for herself, was such a decided grievance, that offended dignity would scarcely permit us to pause before the flower pots; and I believe we should have passed on, lovely

and tempting as they looked, if Miss Palmer had not risen again, and, colouring up to the eyes, begun some stammered excuse about the man's departure.

"It was of no consequence," we answered, rather coldly.

She seemed to be attempting some explanation, but stood as if shame and shyness overcame her; when we effectually stopped her by saying, that Miss L'Estrange had explained to us that the man had nothing left for us--that we were sorry, but hoped we should be more fortunate another time.

Then we swept on towards the house, and she, to our extreme surprise, burst into a passion of tears, which arrested us, for we felt that, being such a new comer, we ought not to have annoyed her so much.

An awkward pause ensued, during which she cried most bitterly, and we stood looking on, till, happily, the first schoolbell rang, and with a sudden effort she controlled her tears, and rushed on into the house to bathe her face and recover herself. "How odd that anyone with such a keen sense of shame should have done so mean an action," observed Miss Ward.

"I was always sure that I should never like her," said Margaret. "I felt it the moment I saw her."

"As for me," Juliet added, "I knew it before I saw her."

**

Oh, come," said the elder Miss Ashley, "that really is perjudice, Juliet."

Prejudice,” I replied, taking up Juliet's cause, "not at all; our room was pulled to pieces for her before she had even entered the house; and besides, we knew by the way Madame brought her up stairs herself, showing her so much more attention than she did to us when we arrived, and saying so many times that she knew we should be such good friends, we were sure by all this that she expected we should NOT."

The elder girls laughed heartily at this.

"There certainly was nothing of the kind done when I arrived," said Miss Ward to Miss Ashley; "on the contrary, just as grandpapa put me down out of the carriage, I saw Madame standing on the steps with you in her hand, and while she talked to grandpapa, you walked up to me and said, 'How do you do? Do you like lemon drops?' and immediately put one into my mouth. We were about six years old then, Fanny, and from that moment to this we have been on strictly confidential terms." "Now, then, young ladies," said the English teacher, "go up stairs; the second bell rings."

Accordingly, we all hastened to take off our bonnets, and proceeded to the school-room, where we found Miss Palmer already in her place, and where the first of those little adventures took place which I hope to detail in my next.

MISS BUT'S COUSIN.

Ir occurred to me, while looking at the well-drawn portraits which were given in the last Number, of The Misses But," that I not only had frequently been in the company of each of those ladies; but also, that I was acquainted with a certain cousin of theirs, who is probably likewise known to many of my readers. I will try and sketch the likeness of this cousin, and then they will perhaps recognize the features.

Now, this relative of the Misses But, is not remarkable either for his charity, or his censoriousness; he seldom finds much fault with other persons, nor does he kindly plead for them; but he is renowned for his cleverness in making excuses for his own failures and defects. Never, I believe, in his whole life, was he heard to acknowledge himself entirely and thoroughly in the wrong. When blamed, he has always some plea to urge, either in justification or in extenuation. And so skilful and lawyer-like is he in his own defence, that you are often astonished to find, that when you thought he was deserving of censure, he considers himself entitled to praise. I have been intimate with him from his boyhood, and have studied his character well.

When quite a little fellow, such remarks as the following constantly passed between him and his superiors. "John "-I do not say that this was his real name; being a very common appellation, there is nothing invidious about it-" John, your geography lesson ought to have been prepared for to-day.

"Yes sir, but I could not find my book."

"The proper place for your book when done with, is your desk."

"But I had lost the key."

"Is not Charlie's key like yours?"

"Yes sir, but he was not in the room then." "Well, could you not have borrowed another geography ?"

"Yes, but I quite forgot that this was geographyday."

"Then, have you learnt your grammar ?"

"No sir, I meant to do so, but I did not know which was the right lesson."

"Were you not at the last class ?"

"Yes sir, but I did not hear it given out—.”

At another time :

"Oh John, you have broken one of the best jugs! "Yes mother, but it was not my fault; I was carrying it very carefully into the garden, but Ellen pushed against me, and knocked it out of my hand."

"You ought not to have carried it into the garden, John."

"But I wanted some water for my plants."

"That jug is not allowed, you know, for such purposes."

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But, mother, it was the only one on the shelf." "Look up, John; what do you call this ?" pointing to a large brown jug; couldn't you have taken that ?" "Yes, mother, if I had seen it, but I don't believe it was there then; somebody must have hung it up since."

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Or again :

'Why have you not finished that little box which you were making, John? Are you tired of carpentering ?"

"Oh no, father, but I had not any more nails." "There are plenty of nails in the large tool-chest; did you look there ?"

"No, father; but I don't think I shall go on with my box."

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Why can't you manage it?"

Yes; but Harry does not care about having it." "Has he told you so ?"

"No; but I feel pretty sure he does not want it." "I understood you promised it him against his birthday."

So I did; but I can give him something else, that he will like better."

As John advanced in years, he left off many of his boyish habits; but, contrary to my advice, he retained this self-excusing one. He went to London, and entered an office there. A great acquisition he must have been to his master; for, to judge from his own expressions, he was almost faultless: or, at least, if he ever failed in anything, it was so unavoidable, that reproof seemed unjust.

"You have not written that letter, Mr. B-!"

"No sir; but I made out the account for Mr. Grafton; I knew he would be calling to-day."

"Did you send to Nicholson's yesterday ?"

"No sir; but I intend to go there myself when I am out."

"You are very late this morning, Mr. B-."

"I am sorry, sir; but I could not get an omnibus sooner. I would have walked; but I think I have sprained my ancle."

A youth in a London office, had some papers given him to copy. He was not quick in transcribing, and his employer thought him long. "Have you done yet?" he inquired. "Sir," he replied, "I had finished it; but really I have made so many blunders, I am ashamed of my performance, and am copying the papers again." His master left the room, and turning to his brother, said with much feeling, "There never was anything like that boy-no shuffle, no excuse. I am sure to find him straightforward in everything."

This is a real incident, dear reader; I only wish I could say that it belonged to John's history; but I don't think his lips could have framed so frank and ingenuous a reply. It seemed impossible for him to

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