it towards the end of the
vacation; but would he not come here? From what you say we should
very much like to know him. Pray ask him from me whether he will
pass the last month of the vacation here, reading with you. I
should like you to be his first regular pupil. Of course this
will be my affair. And now, God bless you, and come home as soon
as you can. Your mother sends her best love.

"Ever your most affectionate,

"JOHN BROWN."

"ENGLEBOURN RECTORY,
"June 28th, 184-'

"DEAREST MARY;--How good of you to write to me so soon! Your
letter has come like a gleam of sunshine. I am in the midst of
worries already. Indeed, as you know, I could never quite throw
off the fear of what might be happening here, while we were
enjoying ourselves at Oxford, and it has all turned out even
worse than I expected. I shall never be able to go away again in
comfort, I think. And yet, if I had been here, I don't know that
I could have done any good. It is so very sad that poor papa is
unable to attend to his magistrate's business, and he has been
worse than usual, quite laid up in fact, since our return. There
is no other magistrate--not even a gentleman in the place, as you
know, except the curate; and they will not listen to him, even if
he would interfere in their quarrels. But he says he will not
meddle with secular matters; and, poor man, I cannot blame him,
for it is very easy and sad and wearing to be mixed up in it all.

"But now I must tell you all my troubles. You remember the men
whom we saw mowing together just before we went to Oxford. Betty
Winburn's son was one of them, and I am afraid the rest are not
at all good company for him. When they had finished papa's hay,
they went to mow for Farmer Tester. You must remember him, dear,
I am sure; the tall, gaunt man, with heavy, thick lips and a
broken nose, and the top of his head quite flat, as if it had
been cut off a little above his eyebrows. He is a very miserly
man, and a hard master; at least all the poor people tell me so,
and he looks cruel. I have always been afraid of him, and
disliked him, for I remember as a child hearing papa complain how
troublesome he was in the vestry; and except old Simon, who, I
believe, only does it from perverseness, I have never heard
anybody speak well of him.

"The first day that the men went to mow for Farmer Tester, he
gave them sour beer to drink. You see, dear, they bargained to
mow for so much money and their beer. They w