The children turned as pale as their mother; and poor Mrs. Fairchild
nearly fainted.

"Oh! poor Lady Noble! poor Lady Noble!" said she, as soon as she could
speak. "Poor Lady Noble!"

Whilst the children were crying over the sad news Mrs. Barker came into
the parlour. Mrs. Barker was a kind woman, and, as she lived by
herself, was always at liberty to go amongst her neighbours in times of
trouble.

"Ah, Mrs. Fairchild," she said, "I know what troubles you: we are all
in grief through the whole village."

"What was the cause of the poor child's death?" asked Mrs. Fairchild.
"I never heard that she was ill."

"Ah! Mrs. Fairchild, the manner of her death is the worst part of the
story, and that which must grieve her parents more than all. You know
that poor Miss Augusta was always the darling of her mother, who
brought her up in great pride; and she chose a foolish governess for
her who had no good influence upon her."

"I never thought much of Miss Beaumont," said Mrs. Fairchild.

"As Miss Augusta was brought up without the fear of God," continued
Mrs. Barker, "she had, of course, no notion of obedience to her
parents, further than just trying to please them in their presence; she
lived in the constant practice of disobeying them, and the governess
continually concealed her disobedience from Lady Noble. And what is
the consequence? The poor child has lost her life, and Miss Beaumont is
turned out of doors in disgrace."

"But," said Mrs. Fairchild, "how did she lose her life through
disobedience to her parents? Pray tell me, Mrs. Barker."

"The story is so sad I hardly like to tell it you," answered Mrs.
Barker; "but you must know it sooner or later. Miss Augusta had a
custom of playing with fire, and carrying candles about, though Lady
Noble had often warned her of the danger of this habit, and strictly
charged her governess to prevent it. But it seems that the governess,
being afraid of offending, had suffered her very often to be guilty of
this piece of disobedience, without telling Lady Noble. And the night
before last, when Lady Noble was playing at cards in the drawing-room
with some visitors, Miss Augusta took a candle off the hall table, and
carried it upstairs to the governess's room. No one was there, and it
is supposed that Miss Augusta was looking in the glass with a candle in
her hand, when the flame caught her dress; but this is not known. Lady
Noble's maid, who was in the next room, was alarmed