Stories and Sketches | Page 9

home followed by the good
wishes of many who had long known and loved them. Upon their
arrival at Rockford, Mrs. Ashton hired a cheap tenement in a
respectable locality, which she furnished in a plain but decent manner.
When they became settled in their new home they had still in hand
money sufficient to secure them from immediate want, but as Mrs.
Ashton wished Emma to enter at once upon her studies, she was very
anxious to devise some means of earning money to meet necessary
expenses. There was one family residing in Rockford with whom Mrs.
Ashton had several years before been intimately acquainted: their name
was Lebaron, and they had at one time resided in the same village with
the Ashtons. Mr. Lebaron had opened a store upon removing to
Rockford; the world had smiled upon him, and he was now considered
one of the most wealthy and influential men in the village.
It has been often said that "prosperity hardens the heart of man," but if
such is the case in general, Mr. Lebaron proved an exception to the
general rule. He had heard with much sorrow of the death of Mr.
Ashton, and also of the other misfortunes which had overtaken the
family; and no sooner did he learn of the arrival of the widow and
daughter in Rockford, than, accompanied by his wife, he hastened to
call upon them, to renew their former acquaintance, and in a delicate
and considerate manner to enquire if he could assist them in any way?
Mrs. Ashton thanked them for their kindness, saying that although in
no immediate need of assistance, yet she would be very thankful if they
would assist her in obtaining employment. "If such is the case," replied
Mrs. Lebaron, "I can easily secure you employment, as I am acquainted

with many ladies who give out work, and will gladly use my influence
in your favor." "You will confer a favour upon me by so doing," replied
Mrs. Ashton, "for I must rely upon my labor for a support for the
future." Through the influence of these kind friends Mrs. Ashton soon
obtained an abundant supply of work; and, when she became somewhat
acquainted with the people of Rockford, her gentle and unobtrusive
manner gained her many warm friends. Agreeable to her mother's
wishes, Emma soon became a pupil in the seminary for young ladies,
which was at that time under the direction of Miss Hinton, a lady who
possessed uncommon abilities as a teacher, and was also aided by
several competent assistants. Mrs. Lebaron had two daughters attending
the institution at the time, and this circumstance, in a great measure,
relieved Emma from the feeling of diffidence she might have
experienced in entering a large school a stranger to both teachers and
pupils; but her modest and unassuming manners, added to her diligence
in study, soon caused her to become a general favorite with her teachers.
In schools, as well as other places, we often meet with those who are
inclined to be jealous of merit superior to their own, and the seminary
at Rockford was no exception in this matter. Her teachers were guilty
of no unjust partiality; true, they oftener commended her than some
other members of her class, but not oftener than her punctual
attendance, perfect recitations, and correct deportment generally,
justified them in doing. But it soon became evident that, if Emma was a
favourite with her teachers, she was far from being such with many
members of her class. At the time she entered school Miss Hinton
found, after examining her in her various studies, that her attainments
were already superior to those of several young ladies who had been for
some time members of the school. Among the pupils who at the time
attended the institution was a Miss Carlton, from the distant city of H.
She was the petted and only child of wealthy parents; and, as is often
the case, her disposition, which, under proper training, might have been
amiable, had been spoiled by unwise indulgence on the part of her
parents. Her capacity for learning was not good; she was also sadly
wanting in application, and, at the time Emma entered the school,
although Miss Carlton had attended for more than a year, her progress
in study was far from being satisfactory to her teachers. She was at
much pains to inform her classmates of her wealth and position,

seeming to entertain the idea that this would cover every defect. Owing
to Emma's superior attainments, compared with her own, she soon
learned to regard her with a feeling of absolute dislike, which she took
little pains to conceal; and many were the petty annoyances she
endured from the vain and haughty Julia Carlton. She soon learned that