rench verbs, and read pages of
history. Clarissa was her mistress in all these, and recitations went
on under the eye of Mrs. Candy. Matilda's life was even a more busy one
than it had been before. Her lessons were severe, and were required in
perfection; she was forced to give many hours a day to the preparing of
them; and these hours were always in the afternoon and evening. The
mornings were spent still in Mrs. Candy's room. When the art of darning
lace was mastered, her aunt decided that it was good for her to learn
all kinds of sewing. Clarissa and her mother were engaged in making up
a quantity of dresses out of the materials they had purchased in New
York; and Matilda was set to run up breadths of skirts, till she could
do that thoroughly; then she was made to cover cord, by the scores of
yards, and to hem ruffles, and to gather them, and to sew on bindings,
and then to sew on hooks and eyes; and then to make button-holes. The
child's whole morning now was spent in the needle part of
mantua-making. After dinner came arithmetic, and French exercises, and
reading history; and the evening was the time for reciting. Matilda was
too tired when she went up to bed to do more than look at a verse or
two in her Bible, and make a very short prayer; she almost dropped
asleep while she was doing that. However, in the morning she had a
little time now, not having to go down to get breakfast; but the long
lessons before her were a sore temptation to cut short her Bible
reading. Nevertheless Matilda would not cut it short. It was the
child's one happy time in all the day. The rest was very heavy, except
only as the sweetness of Bible words and thoughts abode with her and
came up to her, bringing comfort and giving energy. She was trying with
all her might to buy up her opportunities. She studied her lessons as
if that were the only thing in the world to do; and in the hours of
sewing, Mrs. Candy found her a most excellent help; quick, and neat,
and skilful, and very apt to learn. Matilda was learning fast many
things; but the most precious of all were, to be silent, to be patient,
to be kind, and to do everything with an endeavour to please God in it.
Her little face grew pale with confinement and steady work; it grew
fine also with love and truth. It grew gentle with the habit of
gentleness, and sweet with the habit of forgiving. But all the while it
grew pale. She was very lonely and unspeakably sad, for such a child.
Her aunt