ry difficult and troublesome task to repeat the same story
precisely the same each time, and as a sensible child, even at
so early a period as three years of age, will remember where the
narrator forgets, and never fail to detect the mistakes of the
second repetition, I came to the resolution to print a small
collection of stories for very young children, composed merely of
circumstances incidental to their age.

The great error of many juvenile books is their deviation from truth;
and as so much is absolutely necessary to be taught, why add to
the labour by impressing false ideas on the mind of an infant, and
thus lose the opportunity of making amusement the vehicle to convey
instruction? A Mother only is, perhaps, capable of adapting stories to
the capacities of very young Children; for a Mother only watches the
unfolding of their ideas, and the bent of their dispositions. If one
good Mother finds these tales of service to her in her arduous but
pleasing task, my purpose will be answered.

It is stated that a French version of _Mrs. Leicester's School_, under
the title _Les Jeunes Pensionnaires_, was published. I have seen,
however, only _Petits Conies a l'usage de la Feunesse traduits de
l'Anglais par M'me M. D'Avot_, 1823, which contains "Elisabeth
Villiers, ou l'Oncle marin," "Charlotte Wilmot," "Marguerite Green, ou
la jeune Mahometane," and "Arabella Hardy, ou la Traversee."

_Mrs. Leicester's School_ calls for little annotation, except for the
purpose of relating the stories to the lives of their writers; for it
contains some very valuable autobiographical matter. But there are a
few minor points too.

Page 316. _Dedication_.

In the choice of Amwell School as the name of Mrs. Leicester's
establishment Mary (or Charles) returned after an inveterate Lamb
habit to the old Hertfordshire days. Amwell, where the New River
rises, is only a few miles from Widford and Blakesware. The signature
to the dedication, "M.B.," may have been a little joke for the
amusement of Martin Burney, who had taken such interest in the
progress of the _Tales from Shakespear_ and was in those days a
special favourite with Mary Lamb.

Page 319. I.--_Elizabeth Villiers_. "The Sailor Uncle."

By Mary Lamb. The story of the little girl learning her letters from
her mother's grave may have belonged to Widford churchyard; otherwise
there seems to be no personal memory here.

Page 328. II.--_Louisa Manners_. "The