in the family of her near
connections, was a delightful one. She had no words to say how much
more respectable and proper it was thus to live in the circle of
family usefulness and protection, than to go out in the world looking
for employment.

"I did not suggest to her that the chief difference in the cases would
be, that in a hired situation I should have regular wages and regular
work; whereas in my present position it was irregular work, and no
wages.

"Her views on the subject were perhaps somewhat beclouded by the
extreme convenience she found in being able to go into company, and to
range about the city at all hours, unembarrassed by those family cares
which generally fall to the mistress, but which her views of what
constituted general usefulness devolved upon me.

"I had no retirement, no leisure, no fixed place anywhere. My bed was
in the nursery, where the children felt always free to come and go;
and even this I was occasionally requested to resign, to share the
couch of the housemaid, when sickness in the family or a surplus of
guests caused us to be crowded for room.

"I grew very unhappy, my health failed, and the demands upon me were
entirely beyond my strength, and without any consideration. The doer
of all the odds and ends in a family has altogether the most work and
least praise of any, as I discovered to my cost. I found one thing
after another falling into my long list of appointed duties, by a
regular progress. Thus first it would be, 'Mary, won't you see to the
dusting of the parlors? for Bridget is'--etc., etc.; this would be the
form for a week or two, and then, 'Mary, have you dusted the parlors?'
and at last, 'Mary, why have you not dusted the parlors?'

"As I said, I never studied anything to practical advantage; and
though I had been through arithmetic and algebra, I had never made any
particular use of my knowledge. But now, under the influence of
misfortune, my thoughts took an arithmetical turn. By inquiring among
the servants, I found that, in different families in the neighborhood,
girls were receiving three dollars a week for rendering just such
services as mine. Here was a sum of a hundred and fifty-six dollars
yearly, in ready money, put into their hands, besides their board, the
privilege of knowing their work exactly, and having a control of their
own time when certain definite duties were performed. Compared with
what I was doing and receiving, this was riches and ease an