l. Rachel and myself frequently take tea at
their house; and she is much interested in the little family of
Elderkins, who, I am glad to say, enjoy excellent advantages,
and such of them as are of proper age are duly taught in the
Shorter Westminster Catechism.

"Deacon Tourtelot, another of our neighbors, is a devout man;
and Dame Tourtelot (as she is commonly called) is a woman of
quite extraordinary zeal and capacity. Their daughter Almira is
untiring in attendance, and aids the services by singing
treble. Deacon Simmons, who lives at quite a distance from us,
is represented to be a man of large means and earnest in the
faith. He has a large farm, and also a distillery, both of
which are said to be managed with great foresight and prudence.
I trust that the reports which I hear occasionally of his
penuriousness are not wholly true, and that in due time his
hand will be opened by divine grace to a more effectual showing
forth of the deeds of charity. I do not allow myself to
entertain any of the scandals which unfortunately belong more
or less to every parish, and which so interrupt the growth of
that Christian love which is the parent of all virtues; and I
trust that these good people may come in time to see that it is
better to live together in harmony than to foment those
bickerings which have led so recently to the dismissal of my
poor brother in the Gospel. Our home affairs are, I believe,
managed prudently,--the two servants being most excellent
persons, and my little Rachel a very sunbeam in the house."

And the little sunbeam writes to Mrs. Handby at about the same date,--we
will say from six to eight months after their entry,--

"Everything goes on _delightfully_, dear mamma. Esther is a
good creature, and helps me wonderfully. You would laugh to see
me fingering the raw meats at the butcher's cart to choose nice
pieces, which I really _can do_ now; and it is fortunate I can,
for the goodman Benjamin knows _positively nothing_ of such
things, and I am sure wouldn't be able to tell mutton from
beef.

"The little parlor is nicely furnished; there is an elegant
hair sofa, and over the mantel is the portrait of Major Johns;
and then the goodman has insisted upon hanging under the
looking-glass _my old sampler in crewel_, with a gil