hose occasions so common in an American household, when the
one servant suddenly takes her leave, or is summarily dismissed, Miss
Mitchell describes her part of the family duties:

"Oct. 21, 1854. This morning I arose at six, having been half asleep
only for some hours, fearing that I might not be up in time to get
breakfast, a task which I had volunteered to do the preceding evening.
It was but half light, and I made a hasty toilet. I made a fire very
quickly, prepared the coffee, baked the graham bread, toasted white
bread, trimmed the solar lamp, and made another fire in the dining-room
before seven o'clock.

"I always thought that servant-girls had an easy time of it, and I still
think so. I really found an hour too long for all this, and when I rang
the bell at seven for breakfast I had been waiting fifteen minutes for
the clock to strike.

"I went to the Atheneum at 9.30, and having decided that I would take
the Newark and Cambridge places of the comet, and work them up, I did
so, getting to the three equations before I went home to dinner at
12.30. I omitted the corrections of parallax and aberrations, not
intending to get more than a rough approximation. I find to my sorrow
that they do not agree with those from my own observations. I shall look
over them again next week.

"At noon I ran around and did up several errands, dined, and was back
again at my post by 1.30. Then I looked over my morning's work,--I can
find no mistake. I have worn myself thin trying to find out about this
comet, and I know very little now in the matter.

"I saw, in looking over Cooper, elements of a comet of 1825 which
resemble what I get out for this, from my own observations, but I cannot
rely upon my own.

"I saw also, to-day, in the 'Monthly Notices,' a plan for measuring the
light of stars by degrees of illumination,--an idea which had occurred
to me long ago, but which I have not practised.

"October 23. Yesterday I was again reminded of the remark which Mrs.
Stowe makes about the variety of occupations which an American woman
pursues.

"She says it is this, added to the cares and anxieties, which keeps them
so much behind the daughters of England in personal beauty.

"And to-day I was amused at reading that one of her party objected to
the introduction of waxed floors into American housekeeping, because she
could seem to see herself down on her knees doing the waxing.

"But of yesterday. I was up before six, made the