ction in my
disposition, for that no kindness ever made the least impression on
me. And she would say all this with Sophia seated on her lap, and
the two eldest perhaps hanging round their papa, while I was so dull
to see them taken so much notice of, and so sorry that I was not
affectionate, that I did not know what to do with myself.

Then there was another complaint against me; that I was so shy before
strangers. Whenever any strangers spoke to me, before I had time to
think what answer I should give, Mary or Elizabeth would say, "Emily
is so shy, she will never speak." Then I, thinking I was very shy,
would creep into a corner of the room, and be ashamed to look up while
the company staid.

Though I often thought of my papa and mamma, by degrees the
remembrance of their persons faded out of my mind. When I tried to
think how they used to look, the faces of my cousins' papa and mamma
only came into my mind.

One morning, my uncle and aunt went abroad before breakfast, and
took my cousins with them. They very often went out for whole days
together, and left me at home. Sometimes they said it was because
they could not take so many children; and sometimes they said it was
because I was so shy, it was no amusement to me to go abroad.

That morning I was very solitary indeed, for they had even taken the
dog Sancho with them, and I was very fond of him. I went all about
the house and garden to look for him. Nobody could tell me where
Sancho was, and then I went into the front court and called, "Sancho,
Sancho." An old man that worked in the garden was there, and he said
Sancho was gone with his master. O how sorry I was! I began to cry,
for Sancho and I used to amuse ourselves for hours together when every
body was gone out. I cried till I heard the mail coachman's horn,
and then I ran to the gate to see the mail-coach go past. It stopped
before our gate, and a gentleman got out, and the moment he saw me
he took me in his arms, and kissed me, and said I was Emily Barton,
and asked me why the tears were on my little pale cheeks; and I told
him the cause of my distress. The old man asked him to walk into the
house, and was going to call one of the servants; but the gentleman
would not let him, and he said, "Go on with your work, I want
to talk to this little girl before I go into the house." Then he
sate down on a bench which was in the court, and asked me many
questions; and I told him all my little troubles, for he w