the punctilio of her sex, and to accept the office of presiding over
their domestic comforts. The roses had long before vanished from the
cheeks of Katy Haynes, and she had seen in succession, both her male and
female acquaintances forming the union so desirable to her sex, with but
little or no hope left for herself, when, with views of her own, she
entered the family of the Birches. Necessity is a hard master, and, for
the want of a better companion, the father and son were induced to
accept her services; but still Katy was not wanting in some qualities
which made her a very tolerable housekeeper. On the one hand, she was
neat, industrious, honest, and a good manager. On the other, she was
talkative, selfish, superstitious, and inquisitive. By dint of using the
latter quality with consummate industry, she had not lived in the family
five years when she triumphantly declared that she had heard, or rather
overheard, sufficient to enable her to say what had been the former fate
of her associates. Could Katy have possessed enough of divination to
pronounce upon their future lot, her task would have been accomplished.
From the private conversations of the parent and child, she learned that
a fire had reduced them from competence to poverty, and at the same time
diminished the number of their family to two. There was a tremulousness
in the voice of the father, as he touched lightly on the event, which
affected even the heart of Katy; but no barrier is sufficient to repel
vulgar curiosity. She persevered, until a very direct intimation from
Harvey, by threatening to supply her place with a female a few years
younger than herself, gave her awful warning that there were bounds
beyond which she was not to pass. From that period the curiosity of the
housekeeper had been held in such salutary restraint, that, although no
opportunity of listening was ever neglected, she had been able to add
but little to her stock of knowledge. There was, however, one piece of
intelligence, and that of no little interest to herself, which she had
succeeded in obtaining; and from the moment of its acquisition, she