nia showed me the house. The first floor
was to let furnished, the second was occupied by my mother and Virginia,
and the attics were appropriated to the apprentices. Everything appeared
clean, neat, and well arranged, and I could not imagine how my mother
had contrived to do so much with so little money; but Virginia told me
that she thought Mr. Wilson had assisted her.

When I returned, which might have been in six months, I found a great
improvement, and every appearance of my mother succeeding well in her
speculations. She had now a maid-servant, and her apprentices were
increased to twelve, and there was every appearance of brisk and full
employment.

In 1803 I found that Virginia, who was then fourteen years old, had left
school. She had told my mother that, during the last half-year, she had
only repeated over again what she had learned the half-year before, and
that she thought she could employ her time better at home in assisting
her. My mother was of the same opinion, and Virginia now superintended
the cutting-out department, and was very useful. She said that the
increase of business had been very great, and that my mother could
hardly execute the orders which she received. There were now two
servants in the house, and additional workwomen. My mother also had very
much altered in appearance: before, she was usually clean and neat, now
she was well if not elegantly dressed, and appeared much younger and
better looking. I must do her the justice to say that prosperity had not
spoiled but improved her: she was more kind and more cheerful every time
that I went to see her; and I may add that, with the exception of a
little necessary castigation to Miss Amelia and her companions, she
never scolded, and was kind to her servants. The last year she had been
even more successful, and was now considered the first milliner in the
town. I believed that she deserved her reputation, for she had a great
deal of taste in dress; and when she had gone upstairs to decorate
previous to the hour of arrival of her customers, and came down in a
handsome silk dress and an elegant morning cap, I would often look at
her with surprise, and say to myself, "Who would think that this was my
mother, who used to shove the broom at me in the little parlor at
Fisher's Alley?"

The reader may inquire how my father and mother got on after such an
alteration in her circumstances. I can only reply that they got on
better than they did before;