nurse's work-basket, and were scattering the things all over the room. Poor nurse looked quite vexed and ill, and seemed as if she did not know what to do with all the children; for Edward and the baby cried so loud, that she could hardly make the other two hear her voice, when she tried to scold them, and it was impossible for her to put the baby down at that moment, so that she could not take the basket from them, nor nurse Edward. As soon as Julia came into the room, she ran up to nurse, and said, "I'm going to be so useful to you, nurse! I shall dress Mary and Johnny, and take care of the baby, and do every thing that Betsey does." Well, I'm sure, that will be like a very good little lady, then!" answered nurse; "and, I'm sure, Miss Julia, whatever you can do to help me, I shall be very glad; for I had no sleep last night with baby, and I'm quite worried out, between all the children together, Betsey be

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ing away; and I don't know how I shall ever get them dressed to go down stairs."

"Well, come here, now, Johnny," said Julia, catching hold of little Johnny, and pulling him in a very rough way to a chair," you sit down in this chair, and I shall comb your hair, ready for you to go in to dessert." So she dragged Johnny up, upon the chair, in a very uncomfortable manner, and took a comb off the table to comb his hair.

Now, Susan never said anything about being useful to nurse, but, as she really felt sorry for her, and was not thinking of herself, or of getting praise, as Julia was, she found out in a moment what would be the best way of helping nurse. She ran to little Edward, who was still screaming to be taken up, and holding out a basket-ful of flowers, which her Papa had allowed her to stop and gather on the road to her aunt's house, she said, "Come, Edward, come, dear boy, and see what pretty

flowers Cousin Susan has got in her basket! Edward shall sit on Cousin Susan's lap, and look at them." Edward left off crying the moment he saw the flowers, and Susan sat down with him at once upon a stool, and began showing them to him; and, as soon as Edward left off crying, the baby left off too; so there was peace in an instant. Good little Susan then looked round her, and saw all nurse's things scattered on the floor, and remembered that Mary would soon do some fresh mischief, if she were not properly employed or amused; so she said, " Mary, dear, you shall come and play with the flowers too; (for she observed that Mary was looking very admiringly at the flowers) and you shall have some of them for your own, besides, to put into water, as soon as you have picked up all nurse's things again, and put them into the basket, like a tidy little girl;" and, directly Mary heard this, she set to work very busily

and picked up every thing. Susan watched, to see that she did not leave the least thing upon the ground, and pointed out to her all the places where the reels of cotton had rolled, under the chairs, and into the corners of the room; laughing and making little jokes all the time, to keep Mary in a good temper while she was picking them up; and, when everything was put back safely in the basket, Susan took it from the floor, and got up very carefully on a chair, and set the basket on the chest of drawers, where she knew that the children could not get at it again; and then she went back to her stool, and took Edward again upon her lap, and gave Mary a very pretty nosegay of flowers, and played so nicely with both the children, with the flowers and the basket, that nurse looked quite pleased, and began to praise them all; but, presently, a loud scream was heard from Johnny, and when nurse turned round, she saw that Julia

had entangled the comb in the poor little fellow's hair, in a terrible way, and was pulling at it as hard as she could.

The truth was, that Johnny's hair curled all over his head, and Julia did not in the least know how to comb and brush it properly; but, she was so conceited that she went on doing it without caring for the poor child's complaints; pulling the hair, first in one direction, then in the other; then, brushing a little bit here, then there, and striking his head with the brush with such violence as to give him great pain; scolding him besides all the while, and thinking only of making herself appear clever to nurse, by imitating the way in which she had seen her Mamma's maid stand, and the way in which she held her hands, and twisted the curls round the comb, when she was dressing her Mamma's hair. However, nurse did not think that Julia was combing Johnny's hair cleverly: