after bud of her "blushing wreaths," as if she cared not "to please "* in such ungenial weather. For myself, although welcoming with delight the first treasures of the garden, I was content to admire them within doors, and leave their home unvisited until brighter days. At length the rain and the dulness departed, and frost and sunshine tempting me to dry and sunny paths, I commenced a series of visits to my favourites. The first step beyond the garden door-reminded me that a year had passed away since I had last trodden these paths. Absence from home, and the uninviting state of things, since my return, had made me a stranger to my favourite haunt. looked on the crocuses glowing beneath the bright sun, and the poet's dream seemed scarcely an illusion. "And 'tis my faith that every flower, 1 My glance then fell on the delicate snow-drops, whose graceful pendant flowers formed a lovely contrast to their brilliant neighbours. Just so did they look, when I left them last year; and now they were again blooming in renewed freshness and beauty. As year succeeds to year their strength fails not, nor does their loveliness grow dim, but how different is it with man, each year beholds some change wrought in him. The strong become weak, beauty fades, and sorrow no less than time does its marring work: but the air was chill, and as I hastened my steps, fresh objects turned the current of my thoughts, from the review I was taking of the changes, trials, and mercies of the last twelve months. • The Mezereon is the emblem of "a desire to please." I found the leaves of the honey-suckle fully opened, and imagination pictured the hedges clothed in summer's green, and hung with wreathes of its sweet blossoms, mingled with those of the wild rose. Great is our privilege of recalling the various pictures of nature. The domain of thought is boundless; and we may in this sense exclaim with Sir Henry Wotton, My mind to me a kingdom is." Confined to a solitary room, we may in imagination gaze on groves and fields. A few steps onward, and these reflections were chased by a tuft of blue hepaticas nipped by the frost, I fancied them as they must have appeared a day or two before, bright and flourishing, and sighed to see every blossom withered and bent towards the earth, by the severity of the recent cold: and as I gazed on their untimely destruction, I accepted them as emblems of our own fragile natures: and mused on the impressive words, "In the midst of life we are in death." True as touching! we are indeed alike surrounded by the living and the dead. Contrasts of amazing import, yet oft regarded with indifference. Careless childhood sports amid the church-yard graves, and, not less thoughtless manhood hears of death,it at his door, and gives his attention notwithstanding wholly to the cares and pleasures of life! which "endure but for a moment," whilst death seals his fate for eternity! May we so live that "to die may be gain; so die that we may live for ever in heaven! -sees The circuit of the garden was now made, and as I re-entered the house, I felt this lesson of the "spring flowers" would not soon depart from my remembrance. L. N. THE FIRST SERVANT. MUCH of domestic comfort depends on the conduct and management of servants. It is especially important, that the young female just commencing housekeeping should start well in this respect. If she engage a trusty and experienced servant, it will be her duty and her wisdom to treat her with due respect, consideration, and confidence; but at the same time to guard against surrendering the supremacy which is justly and beneficially placed in her own hands. This will be maintained, not by arbitrary and capricious requirement, nor by haughty displays of consequence, but by a calm and dignified deportment she will make it appear that she knows her own place, and expects the servant to know her's also, and when that is the case she is satisfied. should also be sedulously diligent in observing and acquiring information and experience, that in case of a change, she may be qualified to direct the movements of a successor, who may not prove so expert or so trustworthy. She Eliza, on her marriage, engaged a young servant. Both mistress and servant were inexperienced and thoughtless, and the consumption and destruction of a few months was really alarming. The bills for butcher's meat, poultry, and grocery, exceeded those of the parents on either side, although the family was not half as large. Already several articles of the best dinner set were broken by being set down to the cat, or carelessly placed on the edge of a table, or cracked by putting in the hot oven: the damask table-linen was discoloured and stained; a silver spoon was missing, supposed to have been thrown down the drain; the polished fire-irons were rusted; and the general aspect of the house and its furniture was that of waste and dilapidation. At the suggestion of the parents, the young servant was dismissed; for it was feared that Eliza wanted energy as well as experience to correct what was amiss. Under a different mistress, her bad habits, which were not inveterate, were gradually cured, and she became in time a valuable servant. She The two mothers, who both paid a visit to the young couple, exerted themselves in once more getting all in order, and engaged a servant well recommended for aptitude, fidelity, and frugality. proved herself just what she had been represented, thoroughly conversant with every kind of householdbusiness, remarkably notable, good-managing, and frugal, and taking real pleasure in preserving and beautifying everything committed to her care. The disposition of her mistress to lavish expenditure often met a check:-"O dear, ma'am, why should we take a penny-worth of milk, when a halfpenny-worth is quite as much as we shall use?-Why should butter be used for such or such a purpose, when lard or dripping will answer just as well?-Why should we buy gravy-meat, while we have plenty of bones and trimmings? We want some iron spoons to save using silver in the kitchen, and a few common articles of crockery to save the best china and glass.We need not have a fresh joint to-day, there is plenty remaining of yesterday, and I am sure you will like it nicely hashed and fricassed.-It is a pity to use good clothes for such or such a purpose.-Will you let me have some coarse hempen or tow?" The young mistress smiled at these petty sayings; but was quite willing to let Sarah take her own ways, especially as everything was done in a nice, neat, and tasty manner. at the end of the half-year, compared with the preceding period, though arising from the accumulation of pence, was found to have amounted to many pounds. Moreover the saving in expense Eliza had no sort of objection either to frugality or comfort. She was delighted with the altered appearance of her house, and the reduction of her expenditure, and congratulated herself on having obtained so valuable a servant as Sarah, on whom she bestowed liberal tokens of her approbation. But, unfortunately, she did not derive from her servant all the advantage she might and ought to have done. She did not consider that in the extravagance and carelessness of the former administration both mistress and servant were to blame, and that it was as necessary for the mistress to be improved as for the servant to be changed. But when she found all things going on comfortably and satisfactorily, she suffered herself to sink into a kind of supine helplessness, and leave all to the management of Sarah; thus foregoing the opportunity of qualifying herself to manage at any future time. A young family coming on, rather encouraged than corrected this state of things. Sarah became more and more essential to the comfort of the family, and it must be added, the mistress became more and more a cipher in it. It seemed as if Sarah possessed almost a boundless elasticity of power! however the work increased, she managed to attend to it; and however it was varied, she seemed to have skill and experience to meet it. Hence she became as dominant in the nursery as in the kitchen and laundry; and whatever assistance in either department became necessary, it was placed under the supreme control |