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I thought that doctrine admitted soht to torment them for our amusement'

'I think,' said she, 'a child's aainst the welfare of a soulless brute'

'But, for the child's own sake, it ought not to be encouraged to have such amusements,' answered I, as meekly as I could, to make up for such unusual pertinacity '"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy"'

'Oh! of course; but that refers to our conduct towards each other'

'"The merciful man shows mercy to his beast,"' I ventured to add

'I think YOU have not shownthe poor birds by wholesale in that shockingthe dear boy to such ed it prudent to say no more This was the nearest approach to a quarrel I ever had with Mrs Blooed with her at one time, since the day of my first arrival

But Mr Robson and old Mrs Bloo to Wellwood House annoyed me; every visitor disturbed h I did feel their conduct strange and disagreeable in that respect), as because I found it impossible to keep my pupils away from them, as I was repeatedly desired to do: Tom must talk to them, and Mary Ann must be noticed by them Neither the one nor the other knehat it was to feel any degree of shamefacedness, or even common modesty They would indecently and clamorously interrupt the conversation of their elders, tease theentle about their shoulders or rifle their pockets, pull the ladies' gowns, disorder their hair, tu for their trinkets

Mrs Bloomfield had the sense to be shocked and annoyed at all this, but she had not sense to prevent it: she expected uests, with their fine clothes and new faces, continually flattered and indulged them, out of coarments, every-day face, and honest words, draw the to amuse them, I endeavoured to attract them to my side; by the exertion of such authority as I possessed, and by such severity as I dared to use, I tried to deter the their unmannerly conduct, to make them ashamed to repeat it But they knew no shame; they scorned authority which had no terrors to back it; and as for kindness and affection, either they had no hearts, or such as they had were so strongly guarded, and so well concealed, that I, with all my efforts, had not yet discovered how to reach them