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the front drawing-room, where her papa met her, and taking her by the hand, introduced her to such of the visitors as she had not before seen. At length he led her to a sofa in a recess, where a beautiful but very pale lady was sitting all alone. She smiled when she saw Eva, and held out her hand; and the little girl was soon nestled by her side in the corner of the sofa, looking up into her gentle countenance, and hearkening to her conversation with her papa. She was surprised to find that this turned upon herself. "My little Eva has been rather neglected of late," Mr. Lyman said.

"Ah!" sighed the lady; "children know not what they lose in losing a mother. But Eva shall suffer from her loss no longer. I have no fear if I can only gain her affection. Will you bestow it upon me, my little girl?" she continued, turning to Eva. "I am coming to live with you and take care of you. Will you endeavour to obey me, and attend to all that I tell you for your own good?"

"Are you to be my governess then?" asked Eva wonderingly.

The lady's marble cheek became slightly suffused, and she turned to Eva's papa, as if embarrassed for a reply.

"I will answer that question another time, Eva," said Mr. Lyman gently. "You are wanted now to make up a quadrille. Go, my darling, and let me see you do your best."

So Eva went and danced in her best style, though she could not help thinking continually about her papa's mysterious manner, and the strange lady who was to live with them. She did not take half so much pleasure in the ball as she had expected, because of these engrossing thoughts, which made her even forget to admire the transparent folds of her Honiton lace dress, and the glitter of the silver sash that bound it. Besides, she overheard one old lady say to another, "Susan Fairbairn dances much better than Miss Lyman, and is altogether more pleasing and correct in manner." Eva's vanity was sorely wounded by this remark, and it was in the hope of having it soothed that she hastened up to the pale lady as soon as the dance was concluded, and asked coaxingly, "Have you

seen me dance?"

"Yes, my dear," was the simple reply. Eva was inclined to be exceedingly mortified at the absence of the desired commendation, but she thought to herself, "Governesses never praise like other people."

The evening wore on, and refreshments were handed round, and little boys began to look sleepy, and little girls' ringlets became uncurled; and even Eva herself, the queen of the day, wished it was all over, that she might close her eyes, and be quiet. At length the juniors dispersed to their several homes, and nurse came to the door of the drawing-room for Eva.

Eva thought the old woman was unusually quiet while she took off her silver sash and lace frock, and throwing a little dressing-gown over her shoulders, began to brush out her curls.

By-and-bye, looking up into her face, she perceived that she was crying.

"What is the matter, nurse?" asked the little "What makes you sorry?"

girl.

"Ah, my darling! and have they told you nothing?" sobbed the old woman, throwing her arms around her, and passing at once from quietness to passion. "Don't you know that your papa has got married unknown to any one, and that you are going to have a nasty, cruel step-mother?"

"A step-mother, nurse?" And Eva began to cry bitterly. "Who is it, nurse? Is she here now? I won't have a step-mother."

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Yes, she is here, and your papa's own servants knew nothing of what had happened until an hour ago. She is very pale, and dressed all in blue. Your own mamma, that you're the picture of, had cheeks like roses. Oh dear! mercy me! how soon the dead are forgotten!" continued the old woman, rocking herself backwards and forwards.

"I know who it is, nurse," said Eva, while her bright eyes sparkled with indignation through her tears, and her rosy cheeks glowed. "I know who it is, and I will go this minute, and tell papa before her face that I won't have a step-mother, instead of my own dear mamma."

And before the nurse, now repenting of her interference, could prevent her, the child bounded out of the room, all undressed and in disorder as she was, and rushed down stairs into the drawing-room. There were only a few grown-up visitors now remaining, and these were gathered in a cluster round her papa and the pale lady dashing into the midst of them, Eva fell at her papa's feet, and clasped his knees.

"Papa! Papa!" she sobbed, "I won't have a stepmother. Send the pretty pale lady away, she has no business here. She is a step-mother, and she will scold me and beat me."

Mrs. Lyman, at the beginning of this address, had drawn near to soothe the child, but Eva pushed her hand violently away.

"Hush my child," said her papa, placing his hand upon her mouth, "there are no cruel step-mothers here, only a kind lady, who has a little boy of her own, and will love my Eva as her own dear mother used to do. Nurse," he continued, sternly addressing the old woman, who had stopped trembling at the door, "this is the effect of your folly. You may consider yourself at liberty to quit my service."

"Wait, my love," said his wife; "allow me to speak to nurse."

Mrs. Lyman's gentle voice was heard speaking for some time to nurse in the passage. What she said did not transpire; but certain it is that from that time the old woman, whatever she might think within herself, was careful not to prejudice Eva any further against her new

mamma.

But the little girl herself was not to be so easily managed: the foolish words of her nurse had sunk deep into her memory, and ever on the look-out for ill-will from Mrs. Lyman, the entire

absence of the "scoldings and beatings" she | so much dreaded did not suffice to reassure her. The slightest remonstrance against any idleness or carelessness-and in both these respects Eva was abundantly faulty-was sufficient to excite the determined rebellion of the latter against the "step-mother:" and Mrs. Lyman's extreme care to avoid nurturing a vanity already ridiculously intense, was set down in the child's mind to a want of affection for one who was not her own little girl. The gentle lady began almost to despair of effecting any good in so apparently hopeless a case.

While affairs were in this state, Eva was taken dangerously ill. The disease turned out to be fever, and for a fortnight the little girl lay insensible to everything that passed around her, raving of her "step-mother." Awaking at length as from a horrible dream, her dim, but perfectly rational gaze rested on the mild face of Mrs. Lyman, paler than ever from watching and anxiety. Eva at once comprehended all the tenderness of care of which she had been the object; for she had a faint remembrance, as in a

THE

vision, of tender arms that had supported her many times during her delirium, and of a kind shoulder that had cradled her aching head; while her parched lips were moistened with something deliciously cool and refreshing. Making a feeble endeavour to stretch out her arms, she murmured "Mamma, dear mamma!"

All prejudice now at once disappeared: Eva was convinced that step-mothers are not the selfish, cruel beings that common report too often represents them to be. She endeavoured, as day by day her health and strength returned, to show her gratitude for the tender care of her "new mamma," as she still sometimes called Mrs. Lyman, in the very best way; that is, by attending to her counsels, and becoming continually more gentle, humble, and painstaking. So great was the improvement, that even her old nurse at length openly confessed her error in thinking so badly of step-mothers, affirming that " she did not believe her own mother, if she had lived, could have brought up Miss Eva any better or more tenderly."

WORK TABLE.

GENTLEMAN'S

PURSE.

MATERIALS.-4 skeins of emerald green silk, 6 skeins of white sewing silk; a bunch of transparent white glass beads, a hank of each of the following:-Gold, steel, blue steel, all No. 5. Steel garnitures. W. Boulton and Son's Crochet-hook, No. 12.

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stitches; form it into a round, and work one round of sc.

1st pattern round. x 6 green, 1 steel, 12 green, 6 steel, 5 green, × 4 times.

2nd round. 5 green, 3 steel, 1 green, 3 steel, 5 green, 2 steel, 6 white, 1 steel, 4 green, X 4 times.

3rd round. x 6 green, 1 steel, 1 green, 2 steel, 2 green, 1 steel, 3 green, 1 steel, 4 white, 3 gold, 2 white, 1 steel, 3 green, × 4 times. 4th round. x 8 green, 1 steel, 3 green, 1 steel, 2 green, 1 steel, 8 white, 2 gold, 1 white, 1 steel, 2 green, × 4 times.

5th round. × 8 green, 1 steel, 3 green, 1 steel, 2 green, 1 steel, 1 white, 5 gold, I white, 1 gold, 3 white, 1 steel, 2 green, × 4 times.

6th round. 1 steel, 11 green, 1 steel, 1 green, 1 steel, 2 white, 1 gold, 5 blue steel, 1 white, 1 gold, 2 white, I steel, 2 green, × 4 times.

7th round. x 2 steel, 9 green, 1 steel, 2 green, 1 steel, 1 white, 1 gold, 2 blue steel, 2 white, 2 blue steel, 1 white, 2 gold, 1 white, 1 steel, 1 green, 1 steel, X 4 times.

8th round. X 1 steel, 7 green, 4 steel, 2 green, 1 steel, 2 white, 2 blue steel, 2 white, 2 blue steel, 1 gold, 1 white, 1 gold, 1 white, 1 steel, 2 green, X 4 times.

9th round. X 7 green, 4 steel, 2 green, 1 steel, 3 white, 7 blue steel, 2 white, 1 steel, 3 green, X 4 times.

12th round. × 3 green, 1 steel, 1 green, 4 steel, 4 green, 1 steel, 3 white, 1 gold, 3 white, 1 gold, 3 white, 1 steel, 4 green, x 4 times.

13th round. X 5 green, 5 steel, 2 green, 1 steel, 2 white, 1 gold, 1 white, 5 gold, 2 white, 1 steel, 5 green, × 4 times.

14th round. x 1 steel, 4 green, 2 steel, 2 green, 1 steel, 2 green, 1 steel, 1 white, 2 gold, 2 white, 3 gold, 2 white, 1 steel, 6 green, × 4 times.

15th round. X 2 steel, 3 green, 2 steel, 4 green, 1 steel, 2 white, 2 gold, 5 white, 2 steel, 6 green, 1 steel, × 4 times.

16th round. X 1 steel, 5 green, 5 steel, 2 gold, 5 white, 1 steel, 9 green, X 4 times. 17th round. X 7 green, 2 steel, white, 3

steel, 10 green, × 4 times.

18th round. X 9 green, 8 steel, 13 green, X 3 times, 9 green, 8 steel, 21 green.

Now begin again by a plain round, and repeat the pattern, when the pines will fall between every two of the last set, in consequence of the 21 stitches instead of 13, which were done at the end of the 18th round.

The 36th round is to be done in the same way, which will throw the third set of pines between the second set. Do one round of sc, then for the centre X 2 dc, 2 ch, miss 2, X all round. Turn, 5 ch, × 2 de under 2 ch, 2 ch x end with 2 ch, 1 dc.

Continue working backwards and forwards like the last, until 35 rows are done.

10th round. X 3 green, 1 steel, 2 green, 4 steel, 3 green, 1 steel, 4 white, 2 blue steel, 1 white, 2 blue steel, 3 white, 1 steel, 3 green, xviously slipped on the rings. 4 times.

Work another end to correspond with the first, and crochet it to the middle, having pre

11th round. x 2 green, 3 steel, 1 green, 2 steel, 5 green, 1 steel, 1 white, 3 gold, 7 white, 1 steel, 4 green, x 4 times. Fasten off blue steel silk.

TO CLOSE THE ENDS:-Work a round of open square crochet; then hold the sides together, and sc closely under both chains. Trim with steel garnitures.

FRONT OF A CHILD'S DRESS,

IN MODERN POINT LACE.

AIGUILLETTE.

MATERIALS.-W. Evans and Co's. Point Lace Cottons, and No. 7 French white cotton braid.

We give the patterns for the stomacher of an infant's dress of the full size, that our friends may be able to cut the leaf out, and work on it. A piece of linen should be pasted on the wrong side, and the edges turned over, to prevent the paper from being torn. We shall next month give a trimming for the sleeve, and an edging which may also be worked on the paper. The braiding, with the exception of the two parallel lines forming the border, is done in one piece. The engraving gives the various stitches so clearly, that they cannot be mistaken, and it only remains for us to specify the cottons to be employed for them:

Brussels edging and Brussels lace (Nos. 1 and 3). W. Evans and Co.'s Boar's Head Cotton, No. 70.

English bars (No. 2), Mecklenburgh 100.

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FLOWER MAT.

MATERIALS.-Two skeins of green crystal wool, one dark and one light; one skein of white ditto; one of lilac ditto. A piece of white satin. Three yards of stout wire. A bone mesh -inch wide, and one 11-inch wide, also six silvered beads.

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The centre of this mat is of white satin, covered with netting. The latter is done thus: -On a foundation make, with the lilac wool, 14 stitches, using the narrowest mesh. Do two plain rows.

3rd row. Miss the first stitch, net the second, then the first; continuing this for all the four

teen stitches.

4th and 5th rows. Plain netting.

6th. Like 3rd.

Do altogether fourteen rows, which will make a square piece.

Cover a round of card-board with satin on one side, and calico on the other. Tack this square over the satin.

The flowers are alternately white and lilac. Each one has six petals, which are made by bending a piece of wire in the form of a leaf, and darning them closely (from edge to edge), beginning at the base of each petal, darning to

the point, then taking an overcast stitch at the end, and slipping the needle down the centre. Six petals must be tied together, in the form of a flower, and the points bent. A silvered bead is sewed in the centre of each.

FOR THE MOSS.-Bend the wire into a round, exactly the size of the rim of the mat. Bind the ends with wool for greater security. Take a coarse rug needle, and thread it with a very long thread of each of the green wools. Work on the wire in button-hole stitch, over the large mesh, taking the stitches as close together as possible, to make a very full fringe. Work all the wire round in this way. Make another circle, somewhat smaller, and cover it with moss fringe also. Sew the large round at the edge of the mat, and the other just within it, and set the flowers, at equal distances, between the two borders.

AIGUILLETTE.

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