mpanied Madeleine to America. The other
workwomen Madeleine had selected herself. Many of them were young girls,
well born, and bred in luxury, who had been compelled by sudden reverses
to earn a livelihood. Madeleine often wondered how so many of this class
had been thrown in her way. In reality, the class is a frightfully
numerous one, and she had an intuitive faculty of discovering those of
whom it was composed. Not only did her instinctive sympathy attract her
toward them, but Mr. Hilson, who was an active philanthropist, had been
largely instrumental in pointing out young women who aspired to become
self-helpers. Madeleine took an affectionate interest in teaching them
a trade which almost rose to the dignity of a profession in her hands.
She became their friend, adviser, and comforter, and thus experienced
the delicious consolation of creating happiness for others after her own
happiness had received its death-blow.

The room in which the busy needle-women were sitting, was the farthest
of a suite of apartments opening into each other, on the second story.
These apartments were somewhat lavishly furnished, but in the strictest
good taste, and the eye was charmed by a profusion of choice plants
blossoming in ornamental flower-vases, placed upon brackets on the wall;
or of orchids floating in pendant luxuriance from baskets attached to
the ceiling. Then, Madeleine had not forgotten the picturesque use so
often made of the ivy in her native land, and had trained the obedient
parasite to embower windows, or climb around frames of mirrors, until
the gilt background gave but a golden glimmer through the dark-green
network of leaves.

Each room was also supplied either with portfolios containing rare
engravings, with musical instruments, or a library.

Rich dresses were displayed upon skeleton frames in one apartment;
mantles and out-of-door wrappings were exhibited in another; bonnets and
head-dresses were exposed to admiring view in a third.

Near the window, not far from the table which was surrounded by the
sewing-women, stood a smaller table where Ruth was engaged, coloring
designs for costumes.

The gossip of the Washington _beau monde_, very naturally furnished a
theme for the lively tongues of the needle-women. They picked up all the
interesting items of fashionable news that dropped from the lips of the
many lady loungers who amused themselves by spending their mornings at
Mademoiselle Melanie's exhibition-