days, party nights, &c. Mrs. Hopkins was to be installed in her new home the next week.

Mrs. Harley returned home, and finding herself rather premature in her dismissal of Nancy, overcame her natural dislike of yielding, and begged her to stay till the aforesaid housekeeper should enter upon her duties, it being conceded that it might be a mutual accommodation.

It was now dinner-time. Mr. Harley came home with rather a lengthened visage; perhaps some little incident in a business transaction had ruffled his temper; perhaps he dreaded continual changes at home! At any rate, it was an unguarded moment to consult with him respecting such a movement. Married ladies should never consult their husbands upon important changes when their spirits are disturbed by vexatious out-door proceedings. Mrs. Harley had not learned this. She accordingly gave a spring with little John, whom she held in her arms in the nursery, as she heard the door open, and, seating herself in the dining-room, she began: "Oh, husband, I have talked with Nancy, and she says she cannot give up her lectures and her visits, &c.

The long and short of the story is, that she is going away-not this afternoon, so don't scowl so; but when Mrs. Hopkins comes, and that will be next Friday-one week hence; and after dinner I want you to go with me to the society where they keep poor children 'to let or give away,' if people want them, and we will select a little girl, one that can take care of little Johnny, and do a great deal of light work, for Mrs. Hopkins has not been accustomed to that. She has had the offer of ever so many places where they keep men, and women, and children, and she could get high wages just for an oversight in such places, so I know she is a first-rate housekeeper; and I thought we had better begin with her indulgently; and I promised to get a girl to assist, which, you know, will really be a great service to us."

"And what wages," inquired Mr. Harley, "does the new housekeeper require? As she is to assume the character of mistress," he said, rather sarcastically, "I suppose she expects high remuneration ?"

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Only two dollars and a half a week, husband! Do you think that high, considering

how much sewing she is to do? Besides, she will prepare nearly all for our party; she is excellent at blanc-mange, custards, and ices; she dresses ham beautifully, can make as good chicken-salad as Ude himself, and scallops oysters to a nicety. Now, considering all these things, is it not better to pay a little more, and have one person do all ?"

"These are all expectations, Mary; perhaps the reality will prove that she is not as good as Nancy, after all. I have seen people highly recommended who proved no better on that account; and I must say, I think we shall go on rather extravagantly." A fortune in a wife, and a fortune with a wife, are not synonymous terms, thought Mr. Harley.

There are men in the world who are willing to yield to their wives a carte blanche as to expenses and in-door management for a time, to show them their own incompetency for the charge, even though they be sufferers thereby such a one was Mr. Harley. They accordingly went to the society before mentioned, and made choice of a girl, who was to do the housekeeper's bidding at the very cheapest rate, and hurried back to afford Nan

cy an opportunity to go out in pursuit of a place.

It so happened that a cook was wanted in one of our opulent families, and advertisements had been inserted in the newspapers to obtain one. Nancy had read them, and, neatly attired, she made her way thither. Her modest face was a passport to her reception, and an agreement was immediately made, provided she could enter upon her labours the next Monday morning. "Mrs. Harley will not refuse this privilege," thought Nancy; "and as my dismission is sudden, she will not deprive me of a good place to befriend her a few days."

Justice to Mr. and Mrs. Harley require me to add that she predicted rightly.

CHAPTER III.

MRS. HARLEY AND HER TRIALS.

WE will leave Nancy at her new abode, and look in upon Mrs. Harley on Monday afternoon. The reader has had no history of her early life. Suffice it to say that she was very beautiful, and brought up by an indulgent mother, who had a few thousands, the income of which, with a part of the principal, she had lavished upon her daughter's education. She painted in water colours, and played upon the piano; she could imitate a mezzotint engraving exceedingly well, and make a wax japonica far more superb than a real one; she could waltz as well as a French dancing-master, and it was more currently reported than believed that she once took lessons on the harp. Be that as it may, her "harp of a thousand strings" was seldom long in tune at a time. She grew up fond of excitement-the creature of im pulse-living upon an expected ball or party; and so exquisitely sensitive, that plain house