The orphan nieces

IT was the time of the noon recess in Mrs. Granger's school, and the long upper school-room was pretty well filled with her pupils, who were gathered as chance or inclination pr...

Several of the girls smiled, and Abby laughed outright, despite her sister's reproving looks, all of which did not tend to make Charlotte feel any more amiably. Almost as soon a...

"I don't know that she does," said Charlotte; "I rather think mother has said nothing to her yet; and if I were you, Olive, I would not tell her. You know mother likes to have t...

"I wish she would show her pity in some other way than by bestowing her society upon me," said Olive. "It becomes rather fatiguing, besides taking up a good deal of valuable tim...

"You are very charitable to think so, but I can not agree with you. I was too unboundedly provoking. I have been angry with myself, many a time since, to think how I used to ins...

"But in a very different way, Abby," replied Olive. "Before I took one single step in the matter, or even made up my own mind, I wrote to uncle about it, and I have not done a s...

"You are a good sleeper, I suppose. I am not," said the lady, as she threaded her needle. "I never get any sleep till towards morning, and yet it is very singular how Mr. Felton...

Julia looked from one to the other: her face grew redder and redder, and her eyes filled with tears. She took up Olive's sketch and examined it. Then looked again at her own, an...

"Yes, Melissa, out with it," said a rich, manly, and somewhat jovial voice behind her. "Let us hear who it is that has sent you to the society, like a Niobe on private exhibitio...

It passed very pleasantly, despite her homesickness. There was no school on Christmas-day, of course. Olive had ventured, supported by Mr. Jones, to introduce the daring innovat...

"Abby said not a word, but I saw that she was ready to drop. I did not want to get up a scene before them, and turned the conversation. They did not stay long, and as soon as th...

"I do not agree with you there, sister mine. I think it is necessary, if a woman wants to be any body that she should marry, unless she retires into a nunnery or something. I ho...

He was very glad to see her that was certain, and replied with warmth to her inquiries about Basswoods and its people. The sickness had almost disappeared, the society had resum...

What Ruth felt on this occasion, nobody knew, unless it were Augusta. She kept about her duties as usual, for two or three months. Then she had a long and tedious fit of sicknes...

Mr. Merton replied very soon. As a general thing, he said, he could not approve of a young man's changing his profession when he had once set out in life, and he really thought...

"I can afford myself so much of a holiday," he said, in answer to her remonstrances, "and I do not choose to have you travel alone, if it can be helped. Besides, I want to see y...

"And how do you think Abby felt about us?" asked Mrs. Merton. "Do you think she ever feels as if she would like to see us again? I don't want you to betray confidence, my dear,"...

"And out of this, your rent is to be paid—and the physician, and poor Katy, and the nurse, and housekeeping to be carried on! How do you think it is all to be done?"

"She is splendid—really magnificent! I never knew that she was half so beautiful, and she has a subdued, gentle manner, which is very becoming to her. And now, while I think of...

When Mrs. Forester came home from a shopping excursion, wearied almost to death, she was struck with consternation to find Katy packing up her goods and crying bitterly, and to...

So Mr. Forester set out for Boston the next day, leaving his wife to make all the arrangements for moving. It was the latter end of April, and the weather was very trying. She t...

But before long an event happened which for some time put an end to their studies. One evening the three friends were sitting over their books in the pleasant little study at th...

"You will be surprised to hear that Abby is with us," she wrote, "and, indeed, it hardly seems real to any of us yet. It appears that Mrs. Granger had been away, so that she had...

Mr. Forester disengaged himself from his wife's embrace, and walked to the window to recover his composure. Even then, he found time to think how hard-hearted Mrs. Merton was, a...

William shut himself up in his room, and would see no one. Perhaps as he went back over the circumstances of his married life, he felt some self-reproach and some misgiving that...