feel the truth of her governess's observations; for
she had rather be the innocent Lord Hardy, though she was to have but
that one shilling in the world which was so insolently offered him as
his father's last legacy, than be the Lady Brumpton, even though she had
possessed the fortune she so treacherously endeavoured to obtain.

'Nay (said Miss Dolly Friendly) I had rather have been old Trusty, with
all the infirmities of age, following my Lord Hardy through the world,
had his poverty and distress been ever so great, than have been the
malicious Lady Brumpton, in the height of her beauty, surrounded by a
crowd of lovers and flatterers.'

Miss Henny Fret then declared how glad she was that she had now no
malice in her mind; though she could not always have said so, as she
would inform them in the history of her past life.






Miss Henny Fret was turned of nine years old. She was very prettily
made, and remarkably genteel. All her features were regular. She was not
very fair, and looked pale. Her upper lip seemed rather shorter than it
should be; for it was drawn up in such a manner, as to show her upper
teeth; and though this was in some degree natural, yet it had been very
much increased by her being continually on the fret for every trifling
accident that offended her, or on every contradiction that was offered
to her. When you came to examine her face, she had not one feature but
what was pretty; yet, from that constant uneasiness which appeared in
her countenance, it gave you so little pleasure to look at her, that she
seldom had common justice done her, but had generally hitherto passed
for a little insignificant plain girl, though her very face was so
altered since she was grown good natured, and had got the better of that
foolish fretfulness she used to be possessed of, that she appeared from
her good-humoured smiles quite a different person; and, with a mild
aspect, thus began her story:






'I had one brother,' said Miss Henny, 'as well as Miss Jenny Peace; but
my manner of living with him was quite the reverse to that in which
she lived with her brother. All my praise or blame was to arise from my
being better or worse than my brother. If I was guilty of any fault,
it was immediately said, "Oh! fie, miss! Master George (that was my
brother's name) would not be guilty of such a thing for the world." If
he