tinge of melancholy, sweet, but deep in her character, still she was not
above the happy genial merriment of childhood,--only her silver laugh was
more attuned, and her gestures more composed, than those of children
habituated to many play-fellows usually are. Mrs. Hazeldean liked her
best when she was grave, and said "she would become a very sensible
woman." Mrs. Dale liked her best when she was gay, and said "she was
born to make many a heart ache;" for which Mrs. Dale was properly
reproved by the parson. Mrs. Hazeldean gave her a little set of garden
tools; Mrs. Dale a picture-book and a beautiful doll. For a long time
the book and the doll had the preference. But Mrs. Hazeldean having
observed to Riccabocca that the poor child looked pale, and ought to be a
good deal in the open air, the wise father ingeniously pretended to
Violante that Mrs. Riccabocca had taken a great fancy to the picture-
book, and that he should be very glad to have the doll, upon which
Violante hastened to give them both away, and was never so happy as when
Mamma (as she called Mrs. Riccabocca) was admiring the picture-book, and
Riccabocca with austere gravity dandled the doll. Then Riccabocca
assured her that she could be of great use to him in the garden; and
Violante instantly put into movement her spade, hoe, and wheelbarrow.

This last occupation brought her into immediate contact with Mr. Leonard
Fairfield; and that personage one morning, to his great horror, found
Miss Violante had nearly exterminated a whole celery-bed, which she had
ignorantly conceived to be a crop of weeds.

Lenny was extremely angry. He snatched away the hoe, and said angrily,
"You must not do that, Miss. I'll tell your papa if you--"

Violante drew herself up, and never having been so spoken to before, at
least since her arrival in England, there was something comic in the