The day enced as befetting up and dressing by rushlight; but this m we were obliged to dispeh the ceremony of washing; the water ichers was frozen. A ge had taken pla the weather the preg evening, and a keen north-east wind, whistling through the crevices of our bedroom windows all night long, had made us shiver in our beds, and turhe tents of the ewers to ice.
Before the long hour and a half of prayers and Bible-reading was over, I felt ready to perish with cold. Breakfast-time came at last, and this m the pe was not burnt; the quality was eatable, the quantity small. How small my portion seemed! I wished it had been doubled.
In the course of the day I was enrolled a member of the fourth class, and regular tasks and occupations were assigned me: hitherto, I had only been a spectator of the proceedings at Lowood; I was now to bee an actor therein. At first, being little aced to learn by heart, the lessons appeared to me both long and difficult; the frequent ge from task to task, too, bewildered me; and I was glad when, about three o』clo the afternoon, Miss Smith put into my hands a border of muslin two yards long, together with needle, thimble, &c., a me to sit in a quiet er of the schoolroom, with dires to hem the same. At that hour most of the others were sewing likewise; but one class still stood round Miss Scatcherd』s chair reading, and as all was quiet, the subject of their lessons could be heard, together with the manner in which each girl acquitted herself, and the animadversions or endations of Miss Scatcherd on the performa was English history: among the readers I observed my acquaintance of the verandah: at the e of the lesson, her place had been at the top of the class, but for some error of pronunciation, or some iion to stops, she was suddenly sent to the very bottom. Even in that obscure position, Miss Scatcherd tio make her an object of stant notice: she was tinually addressing to her such phrases as the following:—
「Burns」 (such it seems was her he girls here were all called by their surnames, as boys are elsewhere), 「Burns, you are standing on the side of your shoe; turn your toes out immediately.」 「Burns, you poke your most unpleasantly; draw it in.」 「Burns, I insist on your holding your head up; I will not have you before me in that attitude,」 &c. &c.
A chapter having beehrough twice, the books were closed and the girls examihe lesson had prised part of the reign of Charles I., and there were sundry questions about tonnage and poundage and ship-money, which most of them appeared uo answer; still, every little difficulty was solved instantly when it reached Burns: her memory seemed to have retaihe substance of the whole lesson, and she was ready with answers on every point. I kept expeg that Miss Scatcherd would praise her attention; but, instead of that, she suddenly cried out—
「You dirty, disagreeable girl! you have never ed your nails this m!」
Burns made no answer: I wo her silence. 「Why,」 thought I, 「does she not explain that she could her her nails nor wash her face, as the water was frozen?」
My attention was now called off by Miss Smith desirio hold a skein of thread: while she was winding it, she talked to me from time to time, asking whether I had ever been at school before, whether I could mark, stitch, knit, &c.; till she dismissed me, I could not pursue my observations on Miss Scatcherd』s movements. When I returo my seat, that lady was just delivering an order