of which, to his great joy, contained a dead weasel;
and then into the stable to see, not the fine carriage
horses, but a little rough colt, which he informed me
had been bred on purpose for him, and he was to ride
it as soon as it was properly trained. I tried to amuse
the little fellow, and listened to all his chatter as com-
placently as I could, for I thought if he had any affec-
tions at all I would endeavour to win them, and then, in
time, I might be able to show him the error of his ways;
but I looked in vain for that generous, noble spirit his
mother talked of, though I could see he was not without
a certain degree of quickness and penetration when he
chose to exert it.

When we re-entered the house it was nearly tea-time.
Master Tom told me that, as papa was from home, he
and I and Mary Ann were to have tea with mamma for
a treat, for on such occasions she always dined at lun-
cheon time with them instead of at six o'clock. Soon
after tea Mary Ann went to bed, but Tom favoured us
with his company and conversation till eight. After he
was gone, Mrs. Broomfield further enlightened me on
the subject of her children's dispositions and acquire-
ments, and on what they were to learn, and how they
were to be managed, and cautioned me to mention their
defects to no one but herself. My mother had warned
me before to mention them as little as possible to her,
for people did not like to be told of their children's
faults, and so I concluded I was to keep silence on them
altogether. About half-past nine Mrs. Bloomfield in-
vited me to partake of a frugal supper of cold meat and
bread. I was glad when that was over, and she took her
bedroom candlestick and retired to rest; for though I
wished to be pleased with her, her company was ex-
tremely irksome to me, and I could not help feeling that
she was cold, grave, and forbidding--the very opposite
of the kind, warm-hearted matron my hopes had de-
picted her to be.

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