: Five years of youth by Martineau Harriet - Young women Conduct of life Juvenile fiction; Selfishness Juvenile fiction; Sisters Juvenile fiction; Motherless families Juvenile fiction; Generosity Juvenile fiction

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FIVE YEARS OF YOUTH.

One fine May morning they went, as they often did, to see Nurse Rickham, as they called the farmer's wife. While Mary was looking for eggs among the nettles, Anna amused herself with helping nurse to get dinner ready. When she came up from the potatoe hole with her apron full of potatoes, she stood in the middle of the kitchen for a minute or two, looking closely at Mrs. Rickham's gown. Mrs. Rickham turned round surprise.

"I never saw you in this gown before, nurse," said Anna.

"'Tis a very old gown, Miss Anna; I've worn it this many a year." And nurse coloured, and looked uncomfortable.

"I have seen it before, I am sure, nurse; though not on you; and yet I thought it had been blue. I don't remember mamma in any thing green. Was it not mamma's?"

"My dear, it was. But who could have thought of your remembering that, so many years as it was ago? I have always kept it out of your sister's sight, because she, being older, might perhaps remember it; but to-day you took me by surprise with it on, and I persuaded myself there was no need to change it."

"No need at all, nurse; but I should just like to see if Mary would know it again."

When Mary was called in, she did not remember having ever seen the gown before.

"Well, how odd that is!" said Mrs. Rickham, "that Miss Anna should remember better than you do, when she was only three years old when my mistress died, and you were five."

"Oh! but I remember many things that Anna cannot," said Mary: "I remember my coming to stay here when papa and mamma went to London. How long ago is that, nurse?"

"Let me see: my mistress died seven years ago, and she went to London every year for three years before she died, and it was the first visit when you came to me, the year Miss Anna was born. My dear, you can't possibly remember so long ago as ten years, when you could only just go alone."

"Oh! but I do," said Mary; "and it is just the trying to run about the green by myself that I remember. You had a wooden step at the door then; and I used to take fast hold of the door-post, and put down first one foot and then the other; and when I could not reach the ground, I sat down on the step and slid, so that I fell softly on my hands and knees."

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