of punctuality, it was the utmost she could do. As for her person, it was never strictly in good trim. Even the black prints which she wore for their eminently useful virtue of keeping long clean, were glaringly dirty. She had altogether a torn-down, worn-out look, as if she every day endured a fate not much less harassing than that of poor Honoria, represented in Chaucer's ancient tale, as every day torn to pieces by the dogs of her rejected lover. A sterner or more refined nature would have been broken by such circumstances; but poor Mrs Sempill was of that easy temper which does not grieve itself about what cannot be avoided, and she struggled on through twenty years of incessant drudgery of the worst kind, with nothing like the ultimate exhaustion which might have been expected.

One year, I say, Mrs Sempill resolved to make her own jelly. It was an almost unaccountable resolution. Perhaps some one had made her a present of the fruit; or some debt of long standing had been unexpectedly paid; or Mr Sempill had got an order for a new mainspring for a gentleman's watch; or some other uncommonly agreeable circumstance had occurred to disturb the unfortunate torn-down woman in her monotony of contented poverty, and inspire her with the idea of for once imitating her betters. However the notion was suggested to her, certain it is that Mrs Sempill did make preparations for the boiling of a panful of currant-jelly. The requisite utensil was bespoken from Mrs Mitchell with all due ceremony, and as solemnly promised. The sugar was purchased, and the berries were gathered. Great was the sensation produced amongst the host of youngsters, from the eldest boy, aged twelve, down to the prattlers of two or three years, when it was discovered that there was to be a

making of jelly that night in the house. A subdued ebullition of great joy went through all hearts. The usual amount of noise and turbulence was diminished about one-half; and even Tam, noted as the most irrepressibly mischievous of the whole clan, was for two hours a positively well-behaved boy. About three in the afternoon they were all set down at a table with their mother to pick the berries from the stalks, in order to prepare them for the pan. There were strict injunctions to eat none; but of what use are all the demands of a morality which goes beyond the ordinary limits of human virtue? The temptation to eat was irresistible, and eat they did accordingly. Mrs Sempill, in the course of her other duties, now and then cast an eye to the little busy fry around the table, and often would she cry: 'Now, Tam, you're eating,' 'Bob, ye villain, if I come to you,' and so forth; but it was all in vain. The eating was kept up just as long as there remained any berries to be picked; after which, feeling that prompt measures were best, they each seized a handful out of the basin, and rushed out of doors in a whirlwind of triumphant laughter, to devour the spoil at leisure, and mock the gaze of powerless vexation with which their mother followed them.

A quarter of an hour served at any time to reconcile Mrs Sempill to her offending offspring, and no more was necessary on the present occasion. One by one they came quietly in, and once more took up their positions in the kitchen, where they found their mother engaged in straining the berries through a piece of cloth. All gazed with wonder and delight on the red stream which poured through the cloth into the pan; and when that operation was concluded, and the cloth with its contents laid aside, all rushed with eagerness

on the pulp of husks, of which in a few minutes they scarcely left a single particle. Mrs Sempill complained grievously of their depredations on the fruit, which, she said, had been reduced by them to about a half; but they were accustomed to such complaints. Having placed the pan containing the juice of the berries on the hearthstone, she put in her sugar, and then went to a press to get a spoon wherewith to stir the mess. Her back was not turned above half a minute, yet in that little time a new attack had been made upon the materials of her jelly. When she once more turned her eyes to the fireside, she beheld the whole tribe gathered in a dense cluster around the pan, no part of which was visible for heads, while a score of fingers were busily engaged in conveying portions of the raw, but yet sweet mixture, towards not much fewer mouths-an object, nevertheless, which did not so entirely engross them, but that they had drawn several murderous-looking streaks with the red liquor across each other's faces, partly through a spirit of fun, and partly to revenge certain attempts at monopoly which they had severally made. The mother's heart sank within her at the sight. She was very near being almost angry. But a scream from one, upon whose bare foot a red cinder had fallen, banished the unworthy feeling, and preserved her equanimity. The great time had at length arrived. All was eager expectation and wonder. On stools and chairs in front of the fire, or upon the hobs beside it, the whole crew perched themselves, in order to command a bird's-eye, or rather, perhaps, a sheep's-eye view of the interior of the vessel, through which their mother caused the spoon incessantly to wander. "Eh, how the sugar's melting! Eh, how the bubbles are coming up! Eh, how red it

is!' were among the exclamations which broke from them every moment, whilst every eye glistened with delight, and every mouth gushed with the water of hope. Eh, mother, I'll stir for you,' cried Tam. 'No, let me let me-let me-let me!' exclaimed half a score other voices, amongst which could be heard that of the child of two years, who only spoke from imitation of the rest. This the mother, for reasons good, was pleased to decline, although the perspiration was already pouring in streams over her good-natured cheeks. Tam, however, was not to be balked in his obliging design; so he rushed to a drawer, got a horn-spoon, and next instant was aiding his mother in her culinary duty. The help he gave might have been repelled, if the rest had not immediately followed his example; so that, before she could utter a word of remonstrance, her spoon was struggling in the boiling mess with six or eight others, wielded by hands quite as vigorous, and a little more active than her own. To have attempted to thrust out these volunteer spoons, would, she perceived, only cause the loss of as much jelly as would stick to them, and this as often as they might be withdrawn. Feeling herself quite unable to contend with the enemy, she tried to temporise with him. She said she would allow them to stir, if they would promise not to take out the spoons to lick them. All readily promised, and next moment, as if the forbiddance had only served to suggest the trick to them, each man was seen cooling his spoon by a vigorous application of his breath, and endeavouring to divest it of its luscious burden. Vain was every piteous protestation of the perspiring woman-vain every threat (for she at length began to threaten)-equally vain all attempts to thrust them away from a place to which the

necessity of constant stirring chained herself. She vowed she would tell their father, and they should see what he would say; but they well knew that they would all be in their beds before he came home. By and by, the time came when she herself should taste the jelly, to ascertain if it was sufficiently boiled; and for this purpose she took out some, which she put into a saucer, and placed on the dresser. When, after a minute, she turned round to taste this little quantity, she beheld the saucer applied vertically to Tam's face, while his two wicked gray eyes twinkled merrily over the upper edge. The rascal had licked it as clean as if it had been washed. 'Ah, Tam!' she could only cry. She now put a small quantity into two saucers, which she placed on the sides of the fireplace, so as to be directly under her eye. That instant both were whisked off by two new culprits, who securely enjoyed the treat at the back of the door, while she could only cry to them that they should have none when it was ready. But these tricks of three of the younkers unavoidably led to other tricks, it being an old-established maxim in this house, that, if one got anything good, whether by free-will offering or by stealth, all the rest were entitled to as much. Davie, therefore, and Will, considering themselves defrauded by Tam, Jock, and Peter, instantly set about measures for the purpose of righting themselves; and seizing two of the little pots which their mother had placed on the table for the reception of the jelly, began to help themselves to a reasonable proportion out of the pan by means of their spoons. The mother entreated that they would put down the pots, as the jelly was now ready, and would spoil if longer kept on the fire. She even promised them whole slices of bread covered with jelly if they would do