"I don't know. It is a very good one, and is worth, well worth striving to realise, but I fear it would be very difficult to do so perfectly."

Try, my Maude, if you are well convinced that what I think is right,-try and follow out my plan; and if you do so in the earnest desire to fulfil your duty, and patiently walk forward through life in that path which GOD has appointed you, fear not, but that whatever your success, you will at least attain that peace of conscience and bright hope in futurity, which are our best sources of happiness in this world."

CHAPTER XV.

MAUDE did try. As Mrs. Grey said, she had begun, and now she went forward with more quiet perseverance than had belonged to her enthusiastic first endeavours, based on a vague notion of kindness and benevolence, rather than on the firm principle of duty, and she now found her interest and satisfaction in the matter as much surer and more lasting as was her motive of action.

Disappointments came. Perfection could not be reached; no, nor even to such an extent as she would have thought very moderate: but she was not disheartened because neither could affect the great object she had in view, and she went forward resolutelysometimes cheerfully. To visit the very poor and relieve their wants was what gave her most pleasure and required least exertion of self-denial. For the others, whether her equals or the grade immediately below them, to visit the one or have much intercourse with the other, were both matters which required much resolute determination and remembrance of duty to

conquer her own inclinations and great distaste to the task.

An incident which occurred one Sunday, greatly aided, however, to do away this feeling of dislike, and show her how such practices as Mrs. Grey recommended, of general occasional visiting in her village, and universal knowledge of her neighbours, might (in her station) be productive of very beneficial results to others, if not to herself. Yet where, as Mrs. Grey would have said, is the almsdeed or kind action done from a right principle and motive of duty, which brings not its own good result to ourselves, in exciting our kindly sympathies, reminding us of our position more forcibly, or improving our disposition and purifying our spirit? Often is a lesson of life given, and a precept of religion enforced more strongly by a visit of kindness to the suffering and dying, or even to the lonely and sad, than by days of theoretical speculation and abstruse study.

Near Maude's seat in church was one occupied by a common-looking old woman, with nothing particular about her appearance beyond a great shade of anxiety and care, which, to somewhat coarse features, gave rather an additional air of plainness, than such as would excite strong interest. By her side, however, usually sat a pale, blind girl, on whose sad, sweet face Maude's eyes had often rested with a sensation of pity. She had once or twice been on the point of asking who and what they were, but either no opportunity offered or her own brooding griefs and perplexities had banished their remembrance. For it is useless to deny that Maude had until lately, despite her exalted ideas regarding virtue, honour, and perfection, been something of a self-indulgent dreamer, rather than a noble, self-sacrificing, active daughter of the Church.

One Sunday, Mrs. Grey was so very unwell with headache that she could not go to Morning Service, a most unusual thing with her, and as nothing but very severe indisposition ever kept her absent from Church,

instantly comprehended the state of the case, and began to admire the stout woman with coarse features far more than she had often felt inclined to do many elegant ladies with more apparent refinement; "but it sounded like a sad accident.'

"Yes," replied Lucy, with recovered contentment, "and so I feared it was at first; but mamma assured me the pain was nothing except when she attempted to move, and I was almost glad she would not be able to do that for a while, as I thought there would be better chance of her getting quite well; for scarcely anything will prevent her going out, because of me." And poor Lucy sighed sadly; but soon recovering, and looking up again more brightly, said,

"But I should not murmur at GOD's will, and I have many blessings others have not; only, being a burden to mamma instead of a help, grieves me sometimes. But, good madam, I forget myself, talking thus; your voice is so kind, it betrays me into troubling you about ourselves, and my own feelings; but I know you feel for us, and I think you will forgive

me."

Maude eagerly and truly assured her not only of her forgiveness, but great interest; and they went on talking together for some little time longer, while Mrs. Grey was conversing with the more reserved and less simple mother. Mrs. Austin had seen more of the world than her young, tenderly screened child, and had less universal faith in the sympathy and kindness of strangers; though beneath her colder exterior there was as much warmth and gratitude towards those who were willing to bestow them, as in the more quickly impressed and all-believing Lucy.

Maude was extremely interested in the latter, and the mother also had excited very different feelings to any she could ever have imagined it possible for her to have entertained towards the stout woman with the plain, common face, who had taken off so much from the romance of Lucy when seen at Church. Mrs. Grey

confirmed her idea that both had seen much better days, and that the mother was shy, and a little proud in her fallen fortunes; but withal possessed of such deep affection for her child, and such a patient, enduring nature, as belonged to no vulgar or ordinary character.

The next day Maude only called at the door, and after hearing from Rachel how the invalid did, left such a basket of stores from the housekeeper's room as had not gladdened Mrs. Austin's sight for many a day. When they met again, she contrived to elude much of their gratitude, and put the matter in such a light as to do away with all feeling of unpleasant obligation on their part; and so managed, that in a little time the receipt of such well-filled, substantial messengers of kindness from the Manor-house came to be regarded as a matter of course, while Maude's visits and those of Mrs. Grey were looked forward to with satisfaction by the mother, and exceeding delight by Lucy.

And great was the benefit to those two poor silent sufferers from the pleasant intercourse now established between the park and the little red house. Not only did Mrs. Austin's health recover more rapidly from the help of the good sustenance and palatable delicacies extracted from the baskets, but her face grew less hopelessly careworn, and something of a sweet expression, more like her daughter's, lighted up and improved her plain features, under the genial influence of kindly sympathy; while Lucy, besides that her cheeks won a slight shade of colour from the drives and walks she took with Maude and Mrs. Grey, recovered a little of an old spirit of playful gaiety which had once been natural to her. She spoke also, occasionally, with something like hope of the return of her eyesight; she had been told this was not irrecoverably lost, but that entire rest, such as her present darkness necessitated, might, if helped on by the calm temperament of a mind at rest, do wonders for those sightless orbs,

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