‘I have come,’ said she, apparently speaking to Madame Duvant, but looking straight at the window, ‘I’ve come to place my daughter Arabella under your charge, and if she is pleased with your discipline, she will finish her education here—graduate—though I care but little for that, except that it sounds well. She is our only child, and, of course, a thorough education in the lower English branches is not at all necessary. I wish her to be highly accomplished in French, Italian, music, drawing, painting, dancing, and, perhaps, learn something of the old poets, so as to be able to talk about them a little, if necessary, but as for the other branches, such as geography, history arithmetic, grammar, and the like, she can learn them by herself, and it is not my wish that she should waste her time over anything so common. These will do for Mildred,’ and she glanced toward the poor relation, whose eyes were bent upon the carpet. ‘She is the child of my husband’s sister, and we have concluded to educate her for a teacher, so I wish you to be very thorough with her in all those stupid things which Arabella is not to study.’ Madame Duvant bowed, and Mrs. Greenleaf continued, ‘Last term they were at Bloomington Seminary, and, if you’ll believe it, the principal insisted upon putting Arabella into the spelling class, just because she didn’t chance to spell every word of her first composition correctly! I dare say it was more Mildred’s fault than hers, for she acknowledged to me that ’twas one of Mildred’s old pieces that she found and copied.’ An angry flash of Arabella’s large black eyes, and a bright red spot on Mildred’s cheek, were the only emotions manifested by the young girls, and Mrs. Greenleaf proceeded: ‘Of course, I wouldn’t submit to it—my daughter spelling baker, and all that nonsense, so I took her away at once. It was my wish that Mildred should remain, but husband, who is peculiar, wouldn’t hear of it, and said she should go where Arabella did, so I’ve brought them both.’ After little further conversation, it was arranged that Miss Arabella should go through a course of merely fashionable accomplishments, Madame Duvant assuring her mother that neither spelling book nor dictionary should in any way annoy her. Mildred, on the contrary, was to be thoroughly drilled in every thing necessary for a teacher to know. Mrs. Greenleaf hinting that the sooner her education was completed the better she would be pleased, for it cost a great deal to clothe, feed and school her. Madame Duvant promised to execute the wishes of her patron, who gathered up her flowing robes, and with a dozen or more kisses for her daughter, and a nod of her head for Mildred, stepped into her carriage and was driven rapidly away. * * * * *