her, and she begun to shriek out and cry, and the women to scream and screech. O Miss! in the scuffle--I was but a little thing--somebody knocks me right into the fire, and my frock was all in a blaze. It was but a moment, but it seemed to me such a time!--all in a blaze of fire! And I remember nothing more of it, hardly, but a great noise, and pouring water over me, and running this way and that. When I come to myself, where was I?" Ella turned from her bird, and her attention seemed riveted upon the story. She forgot her pride and her insolence in the pleasure of listening. Clementina seemed hardly to breathe. "It was very bad being burned," she said, at last. "Horrible, Miss!" "Go on," cried Ella, impatiently; "what became of you?" "When I got out of my daze--for I believe it was some time before I came to myself--I was lying on father's knee, and he had made a cradle for me, like, of his great strong arms: and his head was bent down, and he was a looking at me, and great big hot scalding tears were dropping fast upon my poor face. "'My poor--poor little woman,' I heard him say." "Then--for my eyes had escaped--I was aware that there was a beautiful young lady--at least, I thought her more beautiful than the angels of heaven--standing on the other side of me, right opposite my father, and doing something to my poor arms." "The lady was very young--seemed scarcely more than a child herself, though she was a young married lady. She was beautiful dressed, all in snow-white muslin, with white satin sash, and bows to her sleeves, and a white rose in her hair. She had thrown a large bonnet over it--but now it was tossed off, and lay with her shawl upon the floor. Bad as I was--O! in such horrid pain--the sight of that beautiful dear angel was like a charm to me; it seemed to chase away the pain. And then she touched me so delicately, and spoke so soft and kind! It was music; heaven's own music was her voice." "Who was she? who could she be?" cried Ella. "Why, Miss, who should she be, but Mr. Stringer, the apothecary's young bride, as he had just brought home, and all ready dressed to go out to her first dinner." Ella turned away contemptuously, with a gesture that expressed "was that all?" Clementina said,-- "How nice of her to come to a poor little burnt child like you! and into such a dreadful place too! But I wonder she came in her best gown!"