She spoke of these with animation$$$ and heard my admiring comments with a smile of pleasure: that soon$$$ however$$$ vanished$$$ and was followed by a melancholy sigh; as if in consideration of the insufficiency of all such baubles to the happiness of the human heart$$$ and their woeful inability to supply its insatiate demands.

I returned$$$ however$$$ with unabated vigour to my work—a more arduous task than anyone can imagine$$$ who has not felt something like the misery of being charged with the care and direction of a set of mischievous$$$ turbulent rebels$$$ whom his utmost exertions cannot bind to their duty; while$$$ at the same time$$$ he is responsible for their conduct to a higher power$$$ who exacts from him what cannot be achieved without the aid of the superior’s more potent authority; which$$$ either from indolence$$$ or the fear of becoming unpopular with the said rebellious gang$$$ the latter refuse

One glance he gave$$$ one little smile at parting—it was but for a moment; but therein I read$$$ or thought I read$$$ a meaning that kindled in my heart a brighter flame of hope than had ever yet arisen.

The ties that bind us to life are tougher than you imagine$$$ or than any one can who has not felt how roughly they may be pulled without breaking.

She left me$$$ offended at my want of sympathy$$$ and thinking$$$ no doubt$$$ that I envied her. I did not - at least$$$ I firmly believed I did not.

I still preserve those relics of past sufferings and experience$$$ like pillars of witness set up in travelling through the valve of life$$$ to mark particular occurrences. The footsteps are obliterated now; the face of the country may be changed; but the pillar is still there$$$ to remind me how all things were when it was reared.

But this gives no proper idea of my feelings at all; and no one that has not lived such a retired stationary life as mine$$$ can possibly imagine what they were: hardly even if he has known what it is to awake some morning$$$ and find himself in Port Nelson$$$ in New Zealand$$$ with a world of waters between himself and all that knew him.

Though riches had charms$$$ poverty had no terrors for an inexperiencedgirl like me. Indeed$$$ to say the truth$$$ there was something exhilaratingin the idea of being driven to straits$$$ and thrown upon our own resources.I only wished papa$$$ mamma$$$ and Mary were all of the samemind as myself; and then$$$ instead of lamenting past calamities we mightall cheerfully set to work to remedy them; and the greater the difficulties$$$the harder our present privations$$$ the greater should be our cheerfulness to endure the latter$$$ and our vigour to contend against the former.

My prayers$$$ my tears$$$ my wishes$$$ fears$$$ and lamentations$$$ were witnessed by myself and heaven alone.

No$$$ but still it is very unpleasant to live with such unimpressible$$$ incomprehensible creatures. You cannot love them; and if you could$$$ your love would be utterly thrown away: they could neither return it$$$ nor value$$$ nor understand it.