Her daughters, by soothing and argument, allayed the alarm, though the

impression was not easily done away with, and they feared that it might

yet cost her a night's rest. These attacks--absurd as they were--induced

Rachel to take measures for their confutation, by writing to Mr.

Mauleverer, that she thought it would be well to allow the pupils to pay

a short visit to their homes, so as to satisfy their friends.

She did not receive an immediate answer, and was beginning to feel vexed

and anxious, though not doubtful, when Mr. Mauleverer arrived, bringing

two beautiful little woodcuts, as illustrations for the "Journal of

Female Industry." They were entitled "The free maids that weave their

thread with bones," and one called "the Ideal," represented a latticed

cottage window, with roses, honeysuckles, cat, beehives, and all

conventional rural delights, around a pretty maiden singing at her

lace-pillow; while the other yclept the "Real," showed a den of

thin, wizened, half-starved girls, cramped over their cushions in

a lace-school. The design was Mr. Mauleverer's, the execution the

children's; and neatly mounted on cards, the performance did them great

credit, and there was great justice in Mr. Manleverer's view that while

they were making such progress, it would be a great pity to interrupt

the preparation of the first number by sending the children home even

for a few hours. Rachel consented the more readily to the postponement

of the holiday, as she had now something to show in evidence of the

reality of their doings, and she laid hands upon the cuts, in spite of

Mr. Mauleverer's unwillingness that such mere essays should be displayed

as specimens of the art of the F. U. E. E. When the twenty pounds which

she advanced should have been laid out in blocks, ink, and paper,

there was little doubt that the illustrations of the journal would be a

triumphant instance of female energy well directed.

Meantime she repaired to Ermine Williams to persuade her to write an

article upon the two pictures, a paper in the lively style in which

Rachel herself could not excel, pointing out the selfishness of wilfully

sentimental illusions. She found Ermine alone, but her usual fate

pursued her in the shape of, first, Lady Temple, then both Colonel and

Captain Keith, and little Rose, who all came in before she had had time

to do more than explain her intentions. Rose had had another fright, and

again the Colonel had been vainly trying to distinguish the bugbear of

her fancy, and she was clinging all the more closely to him because he

was the only person of her aquaintance who did not treat her alarms as

absolutely imaginary.

Rachel held her ground, well pleased to have so many spectators of this

triumphant specimen of the skill of her asylum, and Lady Temple gave

much admiration, declaring that no one ought to wear lace again without

being sure that no one was tortured in making it, and that when she

ordered her new black lace shawl of Mrs. Kelland, it should be on

condition that the poor girls were not kept so very hard at work.




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