nity,' said Mrs.
Woodbourne; 'Lizzie came and told me all, the instant she knew that she
had done wrong; but I thought it would harass you, and you were so much
occupied that I had better wait till all this bustle was over, but she
told me everything most candidly, and would have come to you, but that
Mr. Roberts was with you at the time.--My dear Lizzie, do not distress
yourself so much, I am sure you have suffered a great deal.'

'O Mamma,' said Elizabeth, 'how can I ever suffer enough for such a
tissue of ill-conduct? you never will see how wrong it was in me.'

'Yet, Lizzie,' said her father kindly, 'we may yet rejoice over the
remembrance of this unpleasant affair, if it has made you reflect upon
the faults that have led to it.'

'But what is any small advantage to my own character compared with the
injury I have done?' said Elizabeth; 'I have made it appear as if you
had granted the very last thing you would ever have thought of; I have
led Kate and Anne into disobedience. Oh! I have done more wrongly than
I ever thought I could.'

At this moment Katherine came into the room with some message for Mrs.
Woodbourne.

'Come here, Kate,' said her father; 'read this.'

Katherine cast a frightened glance upon Elizabeth, who turned away from
her. She read on, and presently exclaimed, 'Fair and accomplished
daughters! dear me! that is ourselves.' Then catching Elizabeth by the
arm, she whispered, 'Does he know it?'

'Yes, Katherine,' said Mr. Woodbourne sternly; 'your sister has shewn a
full conviction that she has done wrong, a feeling of which I am sorry
to see that you do not partake.'

'Indeed, indeed, Papa,' cried Katherine, bursting into tears, 'I am
very sorry; I should never have gone if it had not been for the others.'

'No excuses, if you please, Katherine,' said Mr. Woodbourne; 'I wish to
hear exactly how it happened.'

'First, Papa,' said Elizabeth, 'let me beg one thing of you, do not
tell Mrs. Hazleby that Harriet went with us, for she could not know
that it was wrong of us to go, and she is very much afraid of her
mother's anger.'

Mr. Woodbourne made a sign of assent; and Elizabeth proceeded to give a
full account of the indiscreet expedition, taking the blame so entirely
upon herself, that although Katherine was on the watch to contradict
anything that might tell unfavourably for her, she could not find a
word to gainsay--speaking very highly of Helen, not attempting to make
the slightest