"As I thus could neither see nor hear any thing that might have been going forward, I was compelled to be content with the society of little Flora, who sat by me all day. But Flora had been told not to satisfy my curiosity; accordingly, to whatever questions I asked, she only said, 'Shall I call Miss Carrisforth? Being, however, under the influence of laudanum, I lay with more composure amidst my ignorance than I should otherwise have done: and thus the whole day wore away. "At her usual hour Amelia came to bed. She looked fatigued, having been up the whole of the preceding night, and it was evident that she had also been crying very bitterly. Miss Beaumont came in with her, as they, intended to spend the night together. 'Amelia,' I said, on their entering, 'how are poor Miss Chatterton and Miss Atkins?" 66 "I hope they are easy,' she answered. must not talk, Clara: go to sleep, my dear.' 'But you "I closed my eyes, and tried to sleep; but the influence of the opium being spent, I was particularly wakeful, and amused myself as invalids often do, in watching the motions of the persons in my room. We had a light burning, which was to be continued all night; and, before the young ladies got into bed, they both went through the door between the two apartments, and staid a considerable time. Amelia came back first, and Miss Beaumont followed. Amelia called to Miss Beaumont to fasten the door, but I perceived, after they had been in bed a little while, that this had not been done, and that it had been left a little open. "The young ladies being, no doubt, worn with fatigue, were soon asleep, and the whole house lay in solemn silence. I thought on the loud laughs and screams of merriment which had so lately resounded through the bed-rooms at this hour of the night, and was struck with the remarkable contrast; for now not even a whisper stirred in the galleries. I lay during a great part of the night awake; but, about two o'clock, Amelia got up, and gave me something to drink; and, seeing me restless, she lay down by me, and laid my head upon her bosom, talking to me awhile in the tenderest and sweetest manner, and pointing out the blessings of religion, and the perfect peace attending it, assuring me, that, if I would now endeavour to do well, all that I had done amiss would be forgiven by Mrs. Patterson, and probably be never known to my father. And thus she soothed me: and having composed me to sleep, she withdrew; and I enjoyed a refreshing slumber till breakfast-time the next morning. "When I then awoke, I found myself alone; little Flora, who had been left with me for awhile, having gone down to fetch our breakfast. I had quite recovered from the effects of the opium, and felt myself considerably better; for in hot climates recovery. from illness is often as speedy as the progress of disease is rapid. I therefore sat up in my bed, and put on my dressinggown; and it then occurred to me, that, as the door between the two rooms was open, it could not do any harm for me just to go through, and ask Miss Chatterton how she did for the season was so hot, that there could be no fear of my catching cold; and, if I know myself, I had no intention, at that time, of doing this slily, as Í resolved to mention the circumstance to Amelia when she next came up. "I, accordingly, proceeded softly into the next room, but was a little startled at finding a standing screen behind the door; by which, however, I soon made my way, and advanced between the beds. The room was perfectly silent. I turned to Miss Chatterton's bed: it was not only empty, but the very beddings and curtains were removed. Astonished beyond measure, I turned to Miss Atkins's bed; when, oh! conceive my horror, on beholding that miserable young woman extended upon it, a livid and putrefying corpse; for she had died during the night, and the work of decomposition was already commenced. I looked for a moment, thinking I might be deceived: the features, however, were not so altered, but that I easily recognised the vain, light, and unhappy creature who, but two days before, had been the companion of my folly. I uttered a shriek of horror; and, running back to my bed, was, shortly afterwards, found laying upon it, totally insensible. "On having recovered from my fainting, I found my "As I thus could neither see nor hear any thing that might have been going forward, I was compelled to be content with the society of little Flora, who sat by me all day. But Flora had been told not to satisfy my curiosity; accordingly, to whatever questions I asked, she only said, 'Shall I call Miss Carrisforth? Being, however, under the influence of laudanum, I lay with more composure amidst my ignorance than I should otherwise have done: and thus the whole day wore away. "At her usual hour Amelia came to bed. She looked fatigued, having been up the whole of the preceding night, and it was evident that she had also been crying very bitterly. Miss Beaumont came in with her, as they intended to spend the night together. Amelia,' I said, on their entering, 'how are poor Miss Chatterton and Miss Atkins?' "I hope they are easy,' she answered. must not talk, Clara: go to sleep, my dear.' 'But you "I closed my eyes, and tried to sleep; but the influence of the opium being spent, I was particularly wakeful, and amused myself as invalids often do, in watching the motions of the persons in my room. We had a light burning, which was to be. continued all night; and, before the young ladies got into bed, they both went through the door between the two apartments, and staid a considerable time. Amelia came back first, and Miss Beaumont followed. Amelia called to Miss Beaumont to fasten the door, but I perceived, after they had been in bed a little while, that this had not been done, and that it had been left a little open. "The young ladies being, no doubt, worn with fatigue, were soon asleep, and the whole house lay in solemn silence. I thought on the loud laughs and screams of merriment which had so lately resounded through the bed-rooms at this hour of the night, and was struck with the remarkable contrast; for now not even a whisper stirred in the galleries. I lay during a great part of the night awake; but, about two o'clock, Amelia got up, and gave me something to drink; and, seeing me restless, she lay down by me, and laid my head upon her bosom, talking to me awhile in the tenderest and sweetest the unhappy young ladies had lain, together with those adjoining it, should be fumigated, it was necessary that I should be removed. Immediately after the funeral, I was accordingly taken down stairs, and placed upon a sofa in the inner hall. "Never shall I forget the melancholy appearance which the house bore throughout the whole of that day; no one spoke excepting in an under tone, many were weeping, and all sound of mirth had ceased. Gabrielle was absent, but no one inquired after her; neither could I ever learn what was become of her, excepting that she was still living. I remembered the many peals of riotous mirth, and the bursts of laughter, which used to resound through the halls and along the high galleries of PalmGrove House: but these had all ceased; and the words of the wise man became too truly verified in this place -For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of fools. (Eccles. vii. 6.) "I have reason to think," continued Miss Clara Lushington, "that the banishment of Gabrielle, and the dreadful end of poor Miss Chatterton, and her companion Miss Atkins, together with the excellent example of Amelia, had a good effect on the whole society at Palm-Grove. "From the period of these dreadful events, Mrs. Patterson became evidently more attentive; and though she was not, at that time, a pious woman, yet her very presence was a considerable restraint upon the worst characters. Much confidence also was now placed, and deservedly placed, in Amelia: and I was here first brought to see the wonderful effect produced by good examples in the elder pupils of a seminary; an effect perhaps even more, certainly not less, powerful than that resulting from such examples in the teachers themselves. Miss Beaumont also proved herself a great assistance to Amelia; the unguarded feelings of that young lady having, through the divine blessing, become effectually tempered by what she had suffered in her estrangement from Amelia, her imprudence, and subsequent disgrace, and, finally, by the awful adventure of the Ariadne, and the part which she had had in the affair. She was now become all that was lovely and excellent. "With respect to myself, I can say but little: for though there was certainly a great change in my feelings after the deaths of my two unhappy school-fellows, yet am I well convinced, that, had I at that time been removed from under the influence of Amelia, I should doubtless have fallen again, and any second fall would probably have been worse than the first. But, after reflecting on the whole course of my life, from infancy to the present moment, I am enabled clearly to see, that amidst innumerable snares and temptations, I have been led forward by a divine hand, and by a strength and wisdom as far above the power of man as the heavens are higher than the earth; and that He who proposed my salvation, ere yet I had entered into existence, has caused every circumstance of my life to work together towards the promotion of everlasting good. "How many, many times has my sweet Amelia laboured to make me comprehend the mighty plan of man's salvation, as begun, carried on, and perfected, by the blessed Trinity in Unity! How often has she endeavoured to excite my cold affections, by a description of the Father's love for perishing sinners, and by leading me to meditation on that which the Son has done and suffered for us! Of the agency of God the Spirit she also spoke often to me, and urged me to a close examination of my heart, and a strict scrutiny of my most private thoughts and actions. “On the subject of governing the tongue, this sweet young lady, as you must already have observed, was particularly explicit. I well remember how she used to tell me, that the love of idle talking was a peculiar propensity of our sex, a propensity of which even religion seldom cures us, though it may perhaps give another direction to our discourse. I have often heard her speak, not only to me, but also to her friend Miss Beaumont, to this effect:-'What is it,' she would say, 'that makes women in general more ignorant and more frivolous than the other sex, but that habit which they have of getting together and discussing every unimportant concern of their neighbours? If men meet together,' she would say, 'they talk at least of something rational, or something important or useful; of business, or politics, or agriculture, or |