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Show 46 UNCLE TOM'S CABIN : OR, " It is your system makes such children," said ?t1iss Ophelia. "I know it; but they aro made,-thcy cxist,-and what is to be done with them ? " "Well, I can't say I thank you for the experiment. But, then, as it appears to he a duty, I shall persevere and try, and do tho best I can," said Miss Ophelia; and Miss Ophelia, after this, did labor, with a commendable degree of zeal and energy, on her new subject. She instituted regular hours and employments for her, and undertook to teach her to read and to sew. In the former art, the child was quick enough. Sbo learned her letters as if by magic, and was very soon able to read plain readlng; but the sowing was a. more difficult matter. The creature was as lithe as a cat, and as active as a monkey, and the confinement of sewing was her abomination; so she broke her needles, threw them slyly out of windows, or down in chinks of the walls ; she tangled, broke, and dirtied her thread, or, with a sly movement, would throw a spool away altogether. Her motions were almost as quick as those of a practised conjurer, and her command of her face quite as great; and though Miss Ophelia could not help feeling that so many accidents could not possibly happen in succession, yet she could not, without a watchfulness which would leave her no time for anything else, detect her. Topsy was soon a noted character in the establishment. Her talent for every species of drollery, grimace, and mimicry, - for dancing, tumbling, climbing, singing, whistling, imitating every sound that hit her fancy, - seemed inexhaustible. In her play-hours, she invariably bad every child in the establishment nt her heels, open-mouthed with admiration • LU'E AMONG THE LOWLY. 47 and wonder,-not excepting :Miss Eva, who appeared to be fascinated by her wild diablcric, as a dove is sometimes charmed by a glittering serpent. Miss Ophelia was uneasy that Eva should fimcy Topsy's society so much, and implored St. Clare to forbid it. " Poh ! let the child alone," said St. Clare. "Topsy will do her good." "But so dcpmvcd a child,- arc you not afraid she will teach her some mischief?'' "She can't teach her mischief; she might teach it to some children, but evil rolls off Eva's mind like dew off a cabbageleaf, - not a drop sinks in." "Don't he too sure," said Miss Ophelia. "I know I 'd never let a child of mine play with Topsy." "Well, your children needn't," said St. Clare, "but mine may; if Eva could have been spoiled, it would have been done years ago.'' Topsy was at first despised and contemned by the upper servants. They soon found reason to alter their opinion. It was very soon discovered that whoever cast an indignity on Topsy was sure to meet with some inconvcnjcnt accident shortly after; -either a pair of car-rings or some cherished trinket would be missing, or an article of dress would be suddenly found utterly ruined, or the person would stumble accidentally into a pail of hot water, or a libation of dirty slop would unaccountably deluge them from above when in full gala dress;- and on all these occasions, when investigation was made, there was nobody found to stand sponsor for tho indignity. Topsy was citeJ, and had up before all the domestic judicatories, time and again; but alwn.ys sustained her examinations with most edifying innocence and gravity of appearance. Nobody in the world ever doubted who did the |