Here is a copy of the picture enclosed in this letter:
Thus did the domestic post office serve alike to entertain the younger members of the family, and to educate their minds and hearts. Its novelty had not yet begun to wear off, and it was regarded by all as one of the established institutions of the family.
CHAPTER X.
A WOUNDED CONSCIENCE.
MRS. PAGE and Marcus were riding in the outskirts of the town, one afternoon, when they stopped a few moments at the door of an acquaintance—a lady named Blake. She was a widow, and had a large family of children. One of them, a girl named Ellen, was standing near the horse, when her mother remarked—
“I wish I could find a place for Ellen, this winter. If she couldn’t earn anything more than her board, it would be better than nothing.”
“How old are you, Ellen?” inquired Marcus.
“Thirteen last spring,” replied the girl.
“Do you want to go away to live?” asked Mrs. Page.