to rest, after Fanny just going in to the old woman to see if she wanted anything. She seemed not surprised to see Fanny looking graver than usual, and said quite kindly,— "Ah, my poor child! these changes are sad things, very sad even for you at your age, and still sadder for me at mine. Not five years ago, when I came here, I had made a much worse change than this, and I was old and even then infirm, instead of being active like you, and yet I have pulled through it, so keep a good heart, Fanny, and all will go well yet, I'll warrant me." No one could help feeling comforted by such kindly sympathy and encouragement; certainly not Fanny, who was keenly alive to the least kindness she received, and deeply grateful for it; and so she lay down to rest with a most thankful spirit. She felt that though her mother was taken away, God had given her an asylum and a kind friend, where least she had looked for it or expected it: and she vowed to show her gratitude to Him, by a life devoted to His service, and to the welfare of her fellow-creatures. In a calm and peaceful frame of mind she offered up her simple prayer to God, and lay down watching the moon-beams shining upon her bed, till she fell asleep, with a tranquil feeling of content that she had long been a stranger to. THE BROTHER AND SISTER. Part III. "If thou art worn and hard beset With sorrows that thou would'st forget, Dim the sweet look that nature wears." "Sunrise on the Hills."-LONGFELLOW. "He also brought down their heart through heaviness : they fell down, and there was none to help them. "So when they cried unto the Lord in their trouble : He delivered them out of their distress." Psalm cvii. 12, 13. "I have been young, and now am old: and yet saw I never the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread."-Psalm xxxvii. 25. FANNY woke very early, and was soon up and dressed, and very busy cleaning out and doing up tidily the old dame's kitchen; she wanted it to be all looking neat and trim before she made her appearance, and truly she thought she would scarcely know it again. The walls had been recently fresh done as well as the floor, so that in fact it was only a little order and method that was required to make it look as nice as possible; the dust was all swept away, things put in their proper places, the window cleaned, the grate and kettle made to shine again with brightness, and a few of Fanny's best plants waved along the window ledge, partly to please the old woman, and partly to give the plants the benefit of the morning sun; the things put ready on the small table by her arm chair for breakfast; and then Fanny paused to look about her, and see what more there was to do, but she could find nothing, so she retreated to her own domain and made all tidy there, and then undid the little box that contained her very humble wardrobe, wishing to lay it all by in a convenient cupboard in the wall that she had very early detected, and thought it would be a great comfort, as she had never been able to afford herself anything in the shape of a chest of drawers. On going to the cupboard, and trying to open it, she found it locked, and instantly concluded that Mrs. Oldfield had the key; so off she went to her room to ask her for it; she found her up and nearly dressed, for though unable to walk, she did manage to help herself if things were put handy to her, and being still an active-minded old dame, she never liked to be helped by others when it could be avoided. Fanny received quite a kind welcome, and Mrs. Oldfield said if she would wait a few minutes she should assist her to get into the kitchen. Fanny was very willing, but made known her request for the key of the cupboard; she was rather surprised to see Mrs. Oldfield smile as she heard what she said, and could not think what the reason could be, but at the time she was too much taken up in witnessing the delight of the old woman in seeing the beautiful neatness of her kitchen to give it a thought; when, however, she had placed her in her chair, and put the kettle on for her breakfast, she again made her request, and then Mrs. Oldfield, smiling to herself all the time, after much fumbling in the capacious pocket, at last produced it. Away Fanny went, after the good dame had made her promise to come back and tell her if she found the cupboard would do; but who can properly describe Fanny's surprise and delight at finding, on opening the mysterious cupboard, nicely arranged on new wooden shelves which had been fitted into it, three quite new irons of the proper kind used in ironing, a stand for them, a good supply of soap,-in short, all the requisites to start her in her new business. It was, indeed, a most joyful surprise, for she had been sorely puzzled in thinking over her plans to make out how she should purchase the necessary articles, and at last she had settled the matter as well as she could, determining to get them at once, and pay for them by degrees as she could, but she had felt all the time that it would be a bad thing, poor as she was, to start with a debt, only there seemed no help for it; and now everything was provided for her: so off she ran, first to tell Willie, who was just dressed, and then to Mrs. Oldfield, who seemed nearly as much pleased as she was, and she explained to her how it had been managed. Fanny felt sure at once that no one could have done it but the good kind Doctor, and she was right. Mrs. Oldfield told her that he had sent her good friend the housekeeper to the neighbouring town to get all that was needed, and then they had agreed with Mrs. Oldfield that they should be hid in the cupboard, and that Fanny should have the pleasure of finding them herself; besides what she had seen, there was a fine large kettle for boiling water, two clothes' baskets for carrying home the linen, and a nice new deal board which could be fixed on trestles for her to iron upon,-nothing had been forgotten; never were there such kind friends, and Fanny stood looking at the things with her eyes quite full of tears, as she thought what cause she had to be grateful in spite of her sorrows. Mrs. Oldfield seemed to have taken quite a fancy to the Doctor: in general she had a |