had the means of choosing any mode of education which he might prefer to
adopt.

The mother of Louise was said to have been a noble-minded woman, but
always in delicate health. She early dedicated this infant daughter to
God, but died while she was quite young. Unfortunately, poor little
Louise was for a few years left to the care of ignorant and selfish
relatives, who intermeddled, and often in the child's hearing, with a
significant nod of the head, would utter the piteous inuendo, "Who knows
how soon the poor thing may have a step-mother!"

From this and similar ill-timed remarks, poor little Louise very early
fostered an inveterate dislike to her father's ever marrying a second
time.

But he did soon marry again. Instead of at once taking this cruel sliver
out of the flesh, acting on the sublime principle, "Duty belongs to us;
leave consequences with God," the father of Louise very injudiciously
and selfishly fell in with this child's foolish and wicked notions, and
in order, as he thought, to remunerate this darling child for her great
trial, allowed her to live almost entirely abstracted from the family
circle.

She was allowed to have a room entirely by herself, which was the
largest and best in the house, and in all respects to maintain a
separate interest. No one might interfere with this or that, for it
belonged to Miss Louise.

Her father said, at any rate, she should not be annoyed by any
participation in the care of the little ones, as she left no one in