She peered at me over her spectacles，and then she opened a drawer and fumbled among its contents for a long time，so long that my hopes began to falter. At last，having held a document before her glasses for nearly five minutes，she presented it across the counter，acpanying the act by another inquisitive and mistrustful glance- it was for J. E.

"Is there only one?" I demanded.

"There are no more," said she; and I put it in my pocket and turned my face homeward: I could not open it then; rules obliged me to be back by eight，and it was already half-past seven.

Various duties awaited me on my arrival: I had to sit with the girls during their hour of study; then it was my turn to read prayers; to see them to bed: afterwards I supped with the other teachers.

Even when we finally retired for the night，the inevitable Miss Gryce was still my panion: we had only a short end of candle in our candlestick，and I dreaded lest she should talk till it was all burnt out; fortunately，however，the heavy supper she had eaten produced a soporific effect: she was already snoring before I had finished undressing. There still remained an inch of candle: I now took out my letter; the seal was an initial F.; I broke it; the contents were brief.

Thursday，possesses the acquirements mentioned，and if she is in a position to give satisfactory references as to character and petency，a situation can be offered her where there is but one pupil，a little girl，under ten years of age; and where the salary is thirty pounds per annum. J. E. is requested to send references，name，address，and all particulars to the direction:-

I examined the document long: the writing was old-fashioned and rather uncertain，like that of an elderly lady. This circumstance was satisfactory: a private fear had haunted me，that in thus acting for myself，and by my own guidance，I ran the risk of getting into some scrape; and，above all things，I wished the result of my endeavours to be respectable，proper，en regle. I now felt that an elderly lady was no bad ingredient in the business I had on hand. Mrs. Fairfax! I saw her in a black gown and widow"s cap; frigid，perhaps，but not uncivil: a model of elderly English respectability.