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VIII.

PHEMIE CAMPBELL.

'How happy is he born and taught
Who serveth not another's will;
Whose armour is his honest thought,

And simple truth his utmost skill.

SIR H. WOTTON.

E went to Redscar. It was a mushroom

WE

watering-place, prettily situated, but too fashionable for my taste,—unless you left the beach and parade altogether, and climbed up the steep green downs that backed it, and sheltered it from the north winds. But such was not often my fate, at least during the first month of our stay. Augusta walked up and down the parade and the pier, dressed in the most correct seaside costume; and if James were not at hand, insisted upon my accompanying her. I found out soon that Augusta's reason for deciding on coming to Redscar, rather than any other place, was the fact that her relations, the Vanes, whom she had

so direfully offended by her first marriage, had a house close by, and she hoped by some means to be able to work herself back into their good graces. She called, and left a card, almost as soon as we arrived; but no notice was taken, and after some time she began to feel rather uneasy as to whether they meant to notice her or not. However, she did her best: she got herself introduced to some people who were intimate with her cousin and his wife, and invited them to a most select little dinner. Cecy,' she said that morning, 'just see that Miss Campbell dresses tidily this evening: she must come down to see after Rosalie ; for the Percys are very particular people, and Rosalie behaved so very ill the last time any one dined with

us.'

'Now then, Phemie,' I said, entering the room where she was dressing, carrying in my hands a spray of blue flowers for the hair-a present which George had given me during the last year,' sit down and let me put this in your hair. It will just suit you.'

She turned quickly round-all her long golden. hair rippling down, far below her waist-'Oh, Miss Hope, what is that for? not for my hair?'

'Not if you call me Miss Hope.'

'But Mrs Hope would not like to hear me call you Cecy,' she answered, and it would be like putting myself out of my place.'

'Well, if it goes against your conscience to call me so before her, don't; but when we are alone I must be Cecy to you, as you are Phemie to me.'

'I must if you say so,' she said; 'but suppose I called you Cecy some day before people by mistakewhat would I do?'

'Say it was my fault, I suppose: and now look at this flower'—and I laid a blossom against her hair. The pale gold looked exquisite against the blue of the flower.

'It is very pretty,' she said doubtfully.

'Sit down, then, and let me put it in your hair.'

Please not, Cecy. It is very pretty, and very kind of you to think of it, but I ought not.'

'Why not? My sister particularly told me to see that you were nicely dressed.'

'I must not, indeed. My father always told us it was wrong to wear artificial flowers; and I never have worn any.'

'But why should it be wrong? Every one wears them-the best people that I know do.'

'I don't mean to say that it is wrong for everybody; but I am sure it would be wrong for me.'

On this point there was no shaking her. Phemie Campbell, yielding and childlike though she was in most things, was quite immovable when a question of right and wrong, or what was such to her, was at stake. In one thing, however, she was very different from other people that I have met, who, equally conscientious with herself, made the minutiae of life— things in themselves indifferent-into questions of right and wrong as she did. While their minds were occupied with incessant conflicts of duty and inclination about these little things, until sometimes they seemed to become morbid and unable to attend. to the greater duties of life-Phemie seemed to have no trouble upon the subject. She was thoroughly single-minded: once certain that a course was right, she seemed to have neither wish nor inclination to follow any other, however tempting it might be.

So when Rosalie went down to dessert, Phemie and I took up our abode in the drawing-room: she

wore a simple high white dress, and her only ornaments were the abundant coils of her rare golden braids. You have much gold upon your head,' I said to her, in the words of the little elf in 'Goblin Market.'

'Please, Cecy,' she said, as she saw me take up a book, would you tell me something?'

Anything you like.'

'May one work in company, or is it not good manners? Aunt Smith never did, but I see people do things here which she would have thought very odd, so I suppose there are different rules for ladies and tradespeople.'

'My dear, who is that pretty girl?' said Mrs Percy aside to me when the ladies entered. 'Is she a sister of yours?' And when I had explained who she was, I asked if I might introduce her; and kind old Mrs Percy sat and talked to her for some time. By-and-by, however, Mrs Percy moved away; and then Augusta came up to her, and said, 'It is Rosalie's bed-time, Miss Campbell. It will be hardly worth while for you to come down again,' she added in a