now all the sweet sights and sounds around her only made her think
how she should have enjoyed them a year ago. She felt almost jealous
of Marianne's liking for her new friends, lest they should steal her
heart from Emma and Lucy; but knowing that these were morbid and
unthankful feelings, she struggled against them, and though she
missed her sisters even more than when her mother and Marianne were
in greater need of her attention, she let no sign of her sorrowful
feeling appear, and seeing that Marianne was benefited in health and
spirits, by intercourse with young companions, she gave no hint of
her disinclination to join in the walks and other amusements of the
Miss Mohuns.

She also began to take interest in the poor people. By Mrs. Weston's
request, Mr. Devereux had pointed out the families which were most in
need of assistance, and Alethea made it her business to find out the
best way of helping them. She visited the village school with
Lilias, and when requested by her and by the Rector to give her aid
in teaching, she did not like to refuse what might be a duty, though
she felt very diffident of her powers of instruction. Marianne, like
Phyllis and Adeline, became a Sunday scholar, and was catechised with
the others in church. Both Mr. Mohun and his nephew thought very
highly of the family, and the latter was particularly glad that Lily
should have some older person to assist her in those parish matters
which he left partly in her charge.

Mr. Devereux had been Rector of Beechcroft about a year and a half,
and had hitherto been much liked. His parishioners had known him
from a boy, and were interested about him, and though very young,
there was something about him that gained their respect. Almost all
his plans were going on well, and things were, on the whole, in a