small fortune, became in her estimation, the very summit of human excellence. In consequence of this persuasion, a very curious process at length took place in her mind, which may serve to illustrate the theory of Dr. Hartley; namely, that "there is a perpetual tendency in the human frame, to transfer the regard due to any thing, first desired as the means of happiness, to the thing itself, as the end; and hence the love of riches, of power, and personal beauty or accomplishments, desirable all of them within proper limits, and as means of usefulness, come in time, without continual attention and watchfulness, to be ardently desired and eagerly coveted for their own sakes alone." The miser, when he counts his guineas, never once adverts to any use he means to make of them, the delight with which they are regarded by him, wholly proceeding from what may be denominated, the disinterested love of money; and thus it happened to my aunt, in respect to her passion for a good dinner, on an economical plan. She was no epicure, yet would she listen with as much pleasure to the particular recital of an entertainment so conducted, long after the time when it was incumbent upon her to give one, as if her own credit had still depended upon it: hence also it was, that she constantly contrived to inform her visitors, what she and her sister had had for dinner, and how it was cooked; in order to give them a high idea of the comfort in which they lived, and of her own excellent management. I have often admired her address, in contriving to introduce this delightful

subject, incidentally as it appeared, but which completely proved how deeply her mind was interested by it. My younger aunt did not feel the same self-complacency, in these recitals, yet she always repeated them after her sister, both that she might take her share in the conversation, and also bear her testimony to the truth of the statement.

CHAPTER 25.

Completion of the female benefit club....The unspeakable advantage of useful occupation....Accident of the Author's brother.... Further developement of his multiplied embarrassments....Expedients adopted....Re-admitted to the house of her uncle....His death....Visits the little daughter of the late Mrs. W. in Yorkshire....Her delicate health.... Her extraordinary attainments.

THE year 1779 was spent chiefly at Stankhouse; and so completely was I occupied in further regulating and establishing our new female benefit club, and in various other little plans, which seemed likely to be useful, that it was far from being passed uncomfortably, notwithstanding the prospect of my brother's affairs became, in every respect, more and more gloomy; so graciously is it ordained by a kind Providence, that in proportion as we occupy ourselves in behalf of others, our own burthens become lighter!

In the February of the year 1780, my brother accidentally injured his leg, and having previ

ously become extremely corpulent, there was the greatest danger of a mortification. He would not consent to send for a surgeon; and the reason, as I afterwards discovered, was that he had not money to pay the fee; and indeed, so very low at that time was the state of our finances, that neither my mother nor myself had it in our power to advance it for him. The case however, was so urgent, that unknown to him, I sent to Leeds, for the very eminent Mr. Hey, who arrived just in time to save his life.

He was at this time confined to his bed many weeks, during which several letters fell into my hands, demanding sums of money, from different creditors, in the most peremptory manner, and evincing that our apprehensions were but too well founded. Of these I took no notice at the time; but after his recovery, they supplied an occasion for a thorough discussion of the painful subject, and I proposed that he should immediately let the estate in Craven, and borrow a sum of money sufficient to satisfy these pressing demands. I would have added, that he should also take measures, without loss of time, to relinquish his farm, but to this proposal, I knew he would not listen; and my mother, ever unwilling to distress him, wished that this might not be urged upon him at present. He con

sented however, to let part of the estate in Craven, and to endeavour to borrow money to pay a year's rent of his farm, which was now due, together with all his other smaller debts. My friend Mrs. Logan, advanced £700 for these

purposes, on his sole bond, without my being asked to join, yet as the loss of that sum would have been ruin to her, she could not have done it without the fullest confidence, that I would not suffer her to be a loser; and I therefore considered myself, as being virtually, if not legally, bound for the re-payment.

In the early part of this summer, after an interdict of seven years, I was re-admitted to the house of my uncle, owing to the following circumstance. My eldest cousin, an amiable young woman, was in a very declining state of health, and extremely anxious to see me, but her earnest request was constantly refused, until my mother, who had gone to the family in their distress, was also taken very dangerously ill there, of an erysipelatous fever. I was now sent for of course; my mother happily recovered, but it was too late for me to see or to comfort my poor cousin, who was dying when I entered the house, and ceased to breathe in about an hour after. The health of my uncle was also declining, and he did not survive many weeks.

During the course of this summer, Sir George Allanson Winn brought his amiable little daughter, to his seat in Yorkshire, which was only six miles distant from Stank-house. I spent nearly three months with her. She was now eleven years old, and the mental progress she had made, was far beyond what is usual at that age, but her health was delicate, and her father brought her into the country for relaxation, and change of air. She now spoke the French lan

guage with great fluency; had made some pro gress in Italian; and could write an English letter with considerable ease: she had great vivacity, a discriminating judgment, and a very affectionate heart. She was already considered as a rich heiress her father, enraptured by her talents, acquirements, and shewy accomplishments, had set his heart upon her forming a splendid alliance; and that she might early acquire some knowledge of the fashionable world, and of the characters that move in it, together with that fascinating ease, and elegance of manner, by which persons in the higher circles are wont to be distinguished, he had removed her from the small school at Chelsea, where she was first placed, and where she had been happy and contented, to a much larger one, on a very different plan, where splendid acquirements were the only things regarded. At this school, she was very miserable; and I had not been with her many days, before she detailed to me so many proofs of the depravity that prevailed there, as clearly to evince that she had sufficient reason for being so. "They pay no attention whatever," she would say, "to our temper, disposition, or behaviour; if our general appearance is fashionable and elegant, that is all they require :" and she then gave me some very affecting instances of the vicious conduct of two or three young ladies, who were high in the school, and favourites with the governess. Speaking of one in particular, the daughter of a baronet, she exclaimed, Poor Sir W. P., he is wrapt up in his daughter, just as