THE TWO APPRENTICES, 43

blind! And Joanna, who never thought about her-
self, but was always working or scheming for the
good of somebody or other ; who was full of resources
for every difficulty, and who suggested good motives
for everybody’s actions, Never in all this world,
poor William thought, were there better women
his aunts; it would be impossible for him to
out badly, belonging, as he did, to such good
pe William thought of all the pleasure they
had given him, of the happy weeks at Matlock, of
the collection of minerals they had bought for him,
of the new clothes they had given him,—how they
were about to put him apprentice to a respectable
business, how they had given him a new Bible and
such a handsome prayer-book as would make it a
pleasure to go to church; and to wind up all, how
they had hired a chaise and brought him out into the
country, which he enjoyed so much, just on purpose
to make his last day of freedom pleasant. All this he
thought of, and then made a little vow with himself
that he would be very obedient and good as an ap-
prentice, and be industrious in learning his business ;
and then, when he was a man and his aunts were
old, that he might be able to do something for them
in return. He grew quite in love with his good
resolves, and then fell into a charming day-dream of
happily-accomplished wishes, from which he was
roused by the sound of voices and the creaking of
a loaded wagon, which, with its piled-up sheaves,
went brushing slowly past the tall hedge-row trees
behind him. It was the wagon which, two hours
before, he had been watching in the distant fields ;
and then the thought first occurred to him that it
was time for him to go back to the farm-house. He.