carry the clothes-bag without either coat or
cloak; nothing in fact to cover her shoulders but an old yellow cotton
shawl. Isabella pitied her extremely, and resolved in her own mind not
to lay out a cent of her money till she had saved enough to buy Diana a
cloak. Her father, who was a man of large fortune, had placed, at the
beginning of the year, a sum of money in Mrs. Middleton's hands to
defray Isabella's expenses, exclusive of her tuition; with directions to
give her every week a dollar to dispose of as she pleased.

Isabella had now been saving her money for four weeks, and had that
morning received her weekly allowance, which completed the sum necessary
to buy a good plaid cloak, and she had determined to go the following
morning and make the purchase, and to give it to Diana when she came to
take the clothes. Isabella had now the exact money; and that was the
reason she was so unwilling to devote any part of it to the expenses of
the feast. Beside which, she could not, in her heart, approve of any
species of pleasure that was to be enjoyed in secret, and kept from the
knowledge of her excellent governess. She felt the usual repugnance of
modest and benevolent people with regard to speaking of her own acts of
charity. This reluctance she, however, carried too far, when rather than
acknowledge that she was keeping her money to buy a cloak for her poor
washerwoman, she suffered herself to be prevailed on to give up part of
the sum, as an addition to the fund that was raising for the banquet.

She went to bed sadly out of spirits, and much displeased with herself.
She had seen at a store, just such a cloak as she wished to get for
Diana; and she had anticipated the delight and gratitude of the poor
woman on receiving it, and the comfort it would afford her during the
inclement season, and for many succeeding winters. "And now," thought
she, "poor Diana must go without a cloak, and the money will be wasted
in cakes and tarts; which, however nice they may be, will cause us no
further pleasure after we have once swallowed them. However, perhaps the
weather will be less severe to-morrow; and next week I shall have
another dollar, and I then will again be able to buy Diana the cloak. I
am sorry that I promised it to her when she was here last. I cannot bear
the idea of seeing her, and telling her that she must wait for the cloak
a week longer. I hope the weather will be mild and fine to-morrow."

But Isabella's hope w