nt, she sat down
beside Elsie to ingratiate herself with that young lady. Elsie thought
she had never seen any one so ignorant of the work she had set about as
Mrs. Mahoney appeared to be. She confessed that she was not skilful,
and it showed all the more kindness in Mrs. Phillips to give her work
when she had had so little practice, and did it so badly. She had been
accustomed to go out as a nurse, she said; but she had got too old for
that, and could not stand the sitting up of nights; and then she
branched off into accounts of dreadful experiences in nursing, and
deathbeds, and awful operations, that were enough to make Elsie's hair
stand on end. She found fault with Mrs. Phillips's nurse as being too
much of the fine lady, and told Elsie what she considered to be a
nurse's duties, which she would like to do if she was only fit for it.
Then she threw herself on Elsie's good nature for a little lesson in
needlework, admired her quickness and taste and skill, wished she could
do anything half as well, and asked her to be good enough to cut out
and place her work for her, and to lend her patterns, and altogether
behaved with the most insinuating affability.

Although Elsie Melville looked simple-minded, she was by no means
wanting in observation, and her situation with Mrs. Phillips and her
sister-in-law had taught her a wonderful amount of prudence. She
thought there was some inconsistency in Mrs. Mahoney's fluent
narratives, and something very peculiar in her relations with Mrs.
Phillips, who appeared to be restless and uncomfortable whenever she
was in the house. Elsie was, however, good-natured enough to give her
some instruction, for which great gratitude was expressed. On the third
day of her visits, when apparently occupied in learning how to do
featherstitch for trimming baby's pinafores, Mrs. Peck looked up from
her work, and asked Elsie if she did not come from ----shire.

"That was my native county," said Elsie.

"Do you know Cross Hall at all?" asked Mrs. Peck.

"I was brought up there," said Elsie.

"I come from that county, too," said Mrs. Peck.

"I did not think you had been Scotch," said Elsie.

"I have been in these colonies for thirty-four years, and seen but few
of my own country folks; but the English say they'd know me to be
Scotch by my accent."

"Well, perhaps your accent is a little like that of ----shire, when I
come to think of it; but the turn of your expressions is not Scotch at
all