saw, or
heard, cared only to get out of doing every thing, and strove to be
as disobliging as possible."

"It is related of the good Oberlin," replied Fanny, "that he was
asked one day by an old female servant who had been in his house for
many years, whether there were servants in heaven. On his inquiring
the reason for so singular a question, he received, in substance,
this reply--'Heaven will be no heaven to me, unless I have the
privilege of ministering to your wants and comfort there as I have
the privilege of doing here. I want to be your servant even in
heaven.' Now why, Helen, do you suppose that faithful old servant
was so strongly attached to Oberlin?"

"Because, I presume, he had been uniformly kind to her."

"No doubt that was the principal reason. And that I presume is the
reason why there is no domestic in our house who will not, at any
time, do for me cheerfully, and with a seeming pleasure, any thing I
ask of her. I am sure I never spoke cross to one of them in my
life--and I make it a point never to ask them to do for me what I
can readily do for myself."

"Your mother must be very fortunate in her selection of servants.
There, I presume, lies the secret. We never had one who would bear
the least consideration. Indeed, ma makes it a rule on no account to
grant a servant any indulgences whatever, it only spoils them, she
says. You must keep them right down to it, or they soon get good for
nothing."

"My mother's system is very different," Fanny said--"and we have no
trouble."

The young ladies then commenced examining the prints, after which,
Fanny asked to be excused a moment. In a little while she returned
with a small waiter of refreshments. Helen did not remark upon this,
and Fanny made no allusion to the fact of not having called a
servant from the kitchen to do what she could so easily do herself.
A book next engaged their attention, and occupied them until dinner
time. At the stable, a tidy domestic waited with cheerful alacrity,
so different from the sulky, slow attendance, at home.

"Some water, Rachael, if you please." Or, "Rachael, step down and,
bring up some hot potatoes." Or--"Here, Rachael," with a pleasant
smile, "you have forgotten the salt spoons," were forms of
addressing a waiter upon the table so different from what Helen had
ever heard, that she listened to them with utter amazement. And she
was no less surprised to see with what cheerful alacrity every
direction, or rath