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balancing, fhe attempted to poize the long broom, fetting the small end on the palm of her hand, but not fucceeding, it fell on one fide, and unfortunately ftruck the pier glafs and broke it. Poor Mary cried out she was undone, and begged Edward, if he had any pity, not to say she did it. "Who then ?" faid he, "you will not say it was I ?" "No indeed, faid fhe, "I will not lay it upon any body; only don't you contradict what I fhall fay." By this time Mrs. Trueby, who heard the smash of the glass, had haftened down flairs and came into the room.

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glafs did I hear crack ?" faid fhe "O Mary! my precious pier glass, the best piece of furniture in my houfe, and a prefent from a dear friend who is now no more, quite spoilt! I valued it above ten times its price! Is this your awkwardnef, Mary ?" Poor Mary stood pale and trembling; but answered, "No indeed, madam." "Who did it then?" faid fhe, raifing her voice, "A great bird, madam, (I don't know whether it was a pigeon) flew in at the window. I tried to drive it out, and it dashed against the glafs with its bill, and cracked it as you fee." Little Edward who was aftonished at her invention and affurance, looked amazed, fhrugged up his fhoulders, and could fcarce help laughing; his mother obferved it, and fo did Mary, who giving him a wink, faid, "Mafter Edward knows it is true, for he saw it as well as I. "O fye, Mary," faid the boy-" that's too much-I would not have told of you, but when

you fay I know it to be true, you make me a liar as well as yourself, and my mamma fays, if I tell lies God Almighty will not love me." "Wicked girl," faid the lady, "would you teach my child to lie? pack up and be gone out of my houfe; and you Edward, I charge you, tell me the truth." Upon this the child related the fact, and added-pray mamma forgive her, it was in trying to divert me, that the came by the accident." "No, my dear," said his mother, " I cannot forgive her; foolish and careless as it was, and grieved as I am for my favorite glafs, I could have forgiven her my lofs; and though I spoke haftily at firft, I fhould foon have confidered her awkwardness and passed it over; but a girl that can so readily invent a lie, and try to draw you into it, I cannot poffibly fuffer to stay a day in my houfe; if you learn to tell lies, it would break my heart." The good lady, however, fearing the girl might get into mischief, after much kind exhortation, determined herself to carry her back to Lady Worthy, affuring her that she would not have parted with the girl on account of the accident, had it not been for the daring falfehood with which fhe attempted to excufe it. Lady Worthy equally fhocked, fent for Goody Wood, and told her what had been her daugher's behavior; adding, that she had put it out of her power to serve her, for fhe could never again venture to recommend her. The poor woman was quite overcome with grief, and did not dare attempt to excufe Mary's faults,

but took her home in an agony of forrow, where the girl had the mortification to fee that she had not only ruined herself, but made her mother completely miferable. And indeed the poor woman became fo ill, that she began to fear that fhe 'fhould be the cause of her death; this affected her very much, and for a time she was truly penitent, and refolved never again to speak falfely; but fo ftrong is cuftom, and fo weak was the principle on which she acted, in her mind, that when the faw her mother recover, fhe foon returned to her little tricks and falfe excuses. It was no wonder fhe did not reform, for fhe had no fear of offending God. Nobody took any. notice of her, and the burden of maintaining her fell heavy on her mother, and kept them both in extreme poverty. At length, a gentlewoman who knew the story, and was concerned that fo young a creature fhould be ruined, was prevailed upon, as fhe had no children, to fend for her. She asked the girl why she was difmiffed from Mrs. Trueby's, to which fhe replied, “it was for breaking a pier glafs." "And was that the only reason of her turning you away fo fuddenly ?" the girl looked fullen, held down her head,. and faid, "I believe fo." "Go," faid the lady,

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you will not do for me. I fee you are not cured of your vile fault, and I will not take one whose word I can never depend on.". So home went Mary with a heavy heart, and after trying to evade her mothers queftions was at last obliged to confefs what had paffed; this renewed

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all the grief of this poor parent, and Mary was again in difgrace, and again promised to speak truth for the future, but never begged-of God for his grace, to enable her fo to do. Mary grew tall and strong, and was a well-looking good humored girl, and lively, though kept down by poverty and difgrace. At laft a far

mer's wife, who lived about two miles from her mother's, took her as her fervant, and was for fome time well pleased with her. In the fame village lived a gentleman whofe name was Banks; he was gone on a tour, and left his gardener and dairy-maid to take care of the house; thefe fervants, who made very free with their mafter's property in every way, ufed to call in Mary when he went by on an errand. The gardener gave her fruit, and the dairy maid treated her with cream, and fometimes a fyllabub. Thefe calls required excufes from her, for flaying on her errands. One day that they faw her paffing by, they told her they were going in the evening to the fair, and asked her to go with them. She replied, fhe was fure fhe could not get leave to go with them that evening, for they were going to finish their great wafh-pooh! pooh!" faid they, "you must go-'tis the laft day of the fair, and there is a tall woman and a dwarf, and I know not what to be seen." Mary's curiofity was ftrongly tempted, and fhe faid fhe would try what the could do. So fhe went to her miftrefs and told her he had a meffage froin her mother, to let

her know fhe was very ill, and begged fhe would if poffible, get leave to come to her. Mrs. Boucher (her mistress) was very good natured, and faid fhe was loth to keep her from her mother on fuch an occafion, but did not know how to spare her, they were fo very bufy. Mary said, "if fhe would be kind enough to let her go at five o'clock fhe would work very hard 'till then," and to this her mistress confented. Before that hour Mary ran up to her garret, dreft herself in a minute, and flew to Mr. Banks's time enough to join her friends, fetting out for the fair. When they had been gone about an hour, her mother, who unluckily had fome bufinefs that way, called to afk her daughter how fhe did; the miftrefs, who herfelf let her in, was amazed to fee her, and the poor woman was thunderftruck, when she heard that the girl had pretended she was ill and had fent for her-and greatly alarmed to think where he could be gone. She went about the village enquiring for her, and at last met a countryman fhe knew, who told her fhe need not fear any harm, for he was juft come from the fair, where he faw her daughter with a man and woman at a booth choofing ribbons; this did not comfort the mother, who went back to implore the clemency of Mrs. Boucher towards her imprudent child. Moved by her tears, and confidering the force of curiofity and vanity in a girl of feventeen, she at last promised not to turn her away if fhe made proper fubmiffions, but to try her a little longer.

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