82 THE HISTORY OF

fire, and had put the kettle on for my mistress’s
breakfast, when I saw her coming up the path-
way through the meadows.

You may be sure that I did not go to meet
her, or seem as if I was glad to see her.

**Good morning, Susan,” said she, as she
came into the house.

I was busied in taking the tea-cups and sau-
cers from the shelf, and wiping them, I did
not turn towards her when she spoke, and
scarcely, I believe, made her any answer: for,
as you may suppose, suspecting what | did of
her, it was hard for me to be commonly civil
to her.

She placed a bundle of linen, which she had
brought with her, upon the dresser, and said,
in a very brisk tone, ‘ Well, Susan, how are
you disposed for work this morning? These
things must be done to-day.”

I still scarcely made any answer, for I could
hardly speak. The tears came into my eyes,
and ran down my cheeks. I wiped them away
with my apron, not wishing my mistress to see
them. But, however, she had observed them,
and thinking, perhaps, wicked woman as she
was, by my tears and silence, that I had, at
Jast, fallen into the snares which she had laid
for me, she came up close to me, with an
exulting and malicious smile upon her face,
such, methinks, as the wicked angel might
have had, when he had tempted our first mo-
ther to disobey the commands of God; and,
laying her hand upon my arm, bending for-
ward, at the same time, to look in my face, .