bear her mortification in silence. She went straight from the outer door up to her own room, and changed the silk stockings for the worsted ones, which she now wished she had never taken off; and going down to the drawing-room, she instantly put her feet up to the fire quite forgetting that her mamma had frequently forbidden her to do so; telling her that to put her feet or hands to the fire, when they were benumbed with cold, was the most inevitable way to bring on chilblains.

Next morning, when she awoke, her lips were so painful and throbbing, she could not conceive what was the matter. Her feet, too, were so hot that she could do nothing but scratch them; and the more she scratched them, the worse they grew. It was but poor comfort for the suffering Arabella to recollect that disobedience to her mamma's often-repeated injunctions, never to thrust her feet or hands close to the fire when they were very cold, had brought this upon her.

A few weeks after this time, when Arabella's face was once more quite well, and her chilblains better, her aunt Harriet, who was on a visit to her mamma, received an invitation to dine out, and was requested to bring her little niece Miss Arabella along with her. Mamma was at first very unwilling to consent to this; but Arabella pleaded and besought so much, and got her aunt to join her in doing so, that at length it was decided she should go; and a beautiful dress, which had been sent her by this very aunt, was drawn out and looked at by Arabella with renewed admiration ; and she capered about making a thousand antics, as she anticipated how "very pretty" she should look when dressed in it.

It seemed very long indeed before the day of the dinner-party arrived: but it came at last-and what a day! The rain poured as if it never intended to be fair again, and the wind blew dreadfully. It happened that Arabella's papa and mamma were also to

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dine out, at a different house from that where aunt Harriet was going, and they took their own carriage, so that a hackney-coach was brought for aunt and niece. Arabella did not much like this-she did not at all relish the idea of driving up to the door in a hired coach, instead of her papa's carriage; but she dared not say so, and was obliged to take her seat, inwardly comforting herself that no one would see her arrive.

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At the moment the coach stopped, some object had just drawn the whole company to the drawing-room windows; Arabella looked up and saw them, and said to herself, "Oh, how provoking to be in a vile hackney-coach-however, they shan't think I am any vulgar person, for I'll step out with so much dignity and grace, they shall see at once I am not a common person; besides, they will see how very pretty I am.' Her aunt having desired her to go out first, she proceeded to do so with what she considered dignity and grace." She threw back her cloak, to show her blue silk slip and embroidered frock; drew up her head, and stuck out her foot, in the most affected manner, as she stepped down. The poor hackneycoachman proffered his arm to assist her; but with the white gloves on, how could she touch his wet dirty sleeve? The streets were dreadfully wet and dirty, though it did not rain at the moment; in making a long step to the pavement, Arabella lost her balance, and fell flat upon the ground. The wind caught her cloak, and, when she was struggling to rise, wrapped it over her head: she kicked and screamed, and in the scuffle rolled into the channel by the side of the pave

ment.

Her aunt had stooped to pick up her boa, which had slipped off her neck in the coach; and what was her amazement, on raising her head, to see the coachman lifting Arabella out of the dirt, with the cloak still fast over her head; while the streams of mud

coursed their way along the beautiful blue silk dress and embroidered frock.

He carried her up to the door, which the servant had opened, and placed her upon the door-mat; and there she stood, till one of the maids brought a knife, and scraped off the worst of the mud which hung to her dress. She was then taken up to the nursery, where her good-natured aunt accompanied her, and assisted in stripping and washing her. Aunt Harriet was soon summoned down to dinner, and there did poor Arabella, shorn of her splendour, and wrapped in an old flannel gown, sit mournfully among the nursery-maids and little children, instead of being admired, as she had expected, in the drawing-room. How mortifying were her reflections! "It is all my own fault; it is all because of my folly and affectation. If I had not been fancying that the people at the window were admiring me, I should not have stepped out in such a foolish manner, and lost my footing." And bitter, bitter tears rolled silently over her face, as these thoughts passed though her mind. She looked back on all her former life, and could not recollect that ever she had been so very miserable before. Yet how much will my little readers wonder when I tell them that, in after years, when Arabella was a grown-up lady, she always looked back on this day as the most fortunate of her life; and upon her hapless disaster of tumbling in the mud as one of the greatest blessings she ever met with.

But I ought to tell you that it was not altogether the downfall from the carriage that caused the downfall of Arabella's self-conceit. Her aunt had sent a messenger back to their own house, for another and a humbler dress, to supply the place of the magnificent one so suddenly destroyed; and when the ladies left the dining-room to go to the drawing-room, this good aunt came up to the nursery, and dressed the little girl, now humbled and repentant for her folly.

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The lady of the house came up also, and spoke kindly to Arabella, and tried to cheer her. Taking a hand of each, she went down to the drawing-room, feeling much ashamed to meet all those who had seen her ludicrous descent into the channel; but she looked so modest and unassuming so unlike herself, that every one was ready to sympathise with her and spoke to her kindly, instead of laughing, as she fancied they would have done.

Arabella, however, was in too low spirits to chatter, or go on in her usual style; she crept to a corner of a sofa, and, silent there, she had time to observe what was going on. Now there was a girl, exactly Arabella's age, of the party; and, like Arabella, she was possessed with a most extravagant admiration of herself. Thinking that there never could be a more favourable time than the present when her unfortunate companion was in such bad spirits, she chattered and talked incessantly, and so loud as to be quite disagreeable; at the same time twisting and throwing her figure and her head about, exactly as I have described Arabella to have done at Mrs. Percy's. Arabella looked and thought to herself, "I am sure, if Master Percy had called you, Miss, 'a conceited baboon,' it would have been little wonder !-how very ridiculous and hateful the girl does make herself, to be sure!" So much easier is it, my little friends, to see the faults of others, rather than our own. Something like this last reflection occurred to Arabella's own mind, and covered her face with blushes. “Oh,” she said to herself, “if I am like that girl, how very disgusting I must be !" and then came rushing over her mind many a wise reproof, many an affectionate advice, given her on this very subject by her mother, but which her vanity prevented her considering as anything but the "grave, disagreeable sort of things old people like so much to say to young ones,"

As soon as Arabella and her aunt were in the car

M

riage on their way home, she threw herself into her aunt's arms, and bursting into tears,' said, "My dear, dear aunt, how very good it is of you not to be angry with me for the destruction of the beautiful dress you gave me!" "My love," said her aunt, pressing Arabella to her bosom, "if you have felt the destruction of your dress, and the causes which led to it, in the way which, from your countenance and behaviour this evening, I hope and think you have, believe me, far from regretting it, I shall consider what I paid for it as the best-spent money I ever laid out of my purse. Tell me, Arabella, am I right in my hope ?" "Yes, aunt," replied the sobbing girl, "if you mean that it has cured me of my self-conceit; but, oh, tell me, aunt, was I as hateful and disgusting as that girl?" "Yes, my love," said her aunt; I must candidly tell you that you were. I trust I may say weremeaning that you will never hereafter be so.

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"Oh, never, never," cried Arabella, clasping her hands; and from this hour Arabella had done with self-conceit never again did she whisper to herself, "I am very pretty," but grew up a lovely, sensible, and amiable person, beloved and respected by all who knew her.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY.

THIS venerable pile, of which we present our young readers with a sketch, took ten years in its erection, and is built in the Gothic architecture. The view of the exterior is very imposing, and cannot be regarded without feelings of emotion, bordering on veneration, rising in the mind. Perhaps no structure in the British metropolis has so many and various associations connected with it: the antiquity of its foundation—the beauty of its architecture the monuments which adorn its interior, and the celebrated persons who lie interred within its walls, all conspire to raise this interest to its height.