chair. After these tiresome labors, she must do her lessons,
which was a daily trial of every virtue she possessed. Then she
was allowed one hour for exercise or play, and didn't she enjoy
it? Laurie came every day, and wheedled Aunt March, till
Amy was allowed to go out with him, when they walked and
rode, and had capital times. After dinner, she had to read
aloud, and sit still while the old lady slept, which she usually
did for an hour, as she dropped off over the first page. Then
patchwork or towels appeared, and Amy sewed with outward
meekness and inward rebellion till dusk, when she was allowed
to amuse herself as she liked till tea-time. The evenings were
the worst of all, for Aunt March fell to telling long stories
about her youth, which were so unutterably dull that Amy was
always ready to go to bed, intending to cry over her hard fate,
but usually going to sleep before she had squeezed out more
than a tear or two.

If it had not been for Laurie, and old Esther, the maid, she
felt that she never could have got through that dreadful time.
The parrot alone was enough to drive her distracted, for he
soon felt that she did not admire him, and revenged himself by
being as mischievous as possible. He pulled her hair whenever
she came near him, upset his bread and milk to plague her when
she had newly cleaned his cage, made Mop bark by pecking at
him while Madam dozed; called her names before company, and
behaved in all respects like a reprehensible old bird. Then she
could not endure the dog, -- a fat, cross beast, who snarled and
yelped at her when she made his toilet, and who lay on his back,
with all his legs in the air and a most idiotic expression of
countenance when he wanted something to eat, which was about
a dozen times a day. The cook was bad-tempered, the old
coachman deaf, and Esther the only one who ever took any
notice of the young lady.

Esther was a Frenchwoman, who had lived with "Madame,"
as she called her mistress, for many years, and who rather
tyrannized over the old lady, who could not get along without
her. Her real name was Estelle, but Aunt March ordered her

-203-