little better than an
automaton figure on which fine clothes might be hung, and whose tongue had
been taught to move, for the purpose of repeating the silly gibberish which
ill-formed women repeat to uninformed children, in order to render them as
stupid, proud, and silly as themselves.

On the following day, the party were naturally the subject of conversation,
and Mrs. Hanson had great pleasure in finding that the bedizened doll, who
had been so decidedly her daughter's companion the evening before, was by
no means her chosen one, that distinction being reserved for Ellen only,
whose kind heart would have been almost broken, had she imagined such a
partiality indeed reciprocal, but who was as free from jealousy of Miss
Holdup, as she was full of confidence in Matilda.

Mrs. Harewood on this occasion remarked, that she had never seen two girls
more likely to form a mutual and lasting friendship than Ellen and Matilda,
because they were likely mutually to benefit each other, since they would,
she trusted, possess the same good principles and dispositions, but each
having a character of her own, would become serviceable to the other.
Matilda had more discrimination and firmness than Ellen, who, on her part,
had a forbearance, patience, and gentleness, which nature as well as habit
had in a degree left her friend but poorly provided with; but she said it
would not be surprising if their mutual affection and reciprocal admiration
should, in time, ingraft the virtues of each upon the other, and she hoped
to see Matilda as meek as Ellen, and Ellen as firm and energetic as
Matilda.

CHAPTER XIII.

The happy family-party at Mr. Harewood's was necessarily soon broken up,
as Mrs. Hanson took a house at Brompton, on account of the mildness of
the air, and the young friends were then separated. Their removal was
facilitated by the arrival of that West-Indian lady and her little girl,
whom we have already mentioned, as being stripped of nearly all her
possessions, and whom Mr. and Mrs. Harewood were desirous of accommodating
in their house, until some plan for her future situation should be fixed
upon. They were not of that number who can receive a rich friend with
pleasure, and leave a poor one to shift for themselves; on the contrary,
Mrs. Weston and her little Harriet were received by them, not only with
affection, but with all consideration due to her former situation.

As soon as Mrs. Hanson had arranged her house