8 The Story of the Hamiltons.

darling of the whole household. There had
been a son and a daughter between Gilbert
and Grace, but they had both died before
Grace was born, and Herbert, from being
nearly nine years younger than Edith, stood
in much danger of being spoilt. Grace was a
sober, grave girl, clever and methodical in all
her arrangements; she had, nevertheless, many
faults, which will hereafter be further deve-
loped. Edith was the exact opposite of her
sister; bright, lively, good-tempered, but im-
petuous and very careless, from want of
thought; but at her age what can be expected ?
She was a very sunbeam in the eyes of her
parents, and no one who looked at her sweet
face and heard her gentle voice could help
loving her. Whatever were her faults-and
human nature is ever full of such blemishes-
her winning ways and extreme sweetness of
disposition caused her to be a general favourite.
The two sisters attended a school in Barham,
where they were the only daily pupils, as Miss
Campbell's custom was only to take boarders,
thereby avoiding the petty gossip, which going
backwards and forwards into the town was
sure to engender. She had, however, made
an exception in the case of Grace and Edith,
who therefore walked or rode every morning