would improve. She did not relax one hour's labour, although she was
now receiving much less for it than when she began. She accumulated
so large a stock, that at last every shilling of her savings was
spent for materials. In exchange, however, she possessed a large
quantity of beautiful lace, that, even if it sold at the present low
prices, would have yielded a small profit. At last things became so
bad, that a sale seemed unavoidable, disadvantageous as it might be.
Lucy, now an object of commiseration amongst the neighbours, still
retained her cheerfulness. That so much patience, modesty, and
firmness of purpose should not meet its reward, seemed almost
impossible; and fortune smiled on Lucy when nearly every hope seemed
to have left her.

It is well known by what trifles in the mercantile world fortunes are
lost and won. The detention of a ship, the non-arrival of a mail, has
ruined hundreds; whilst some equally unforeseen caprice of fashion or
similar accident has made as many fortunes. It happened, when Lucy
had the greatest cause for despondency, that within a short period
two members of the royal family died. Mourning lace was then much in
request, and it happened that most of Lucy's stock was of that kind.
Suddenly, commissions from Honiton flowed in, and Lucy was kept
constantly at work, at wages much higher than before--her own stock
acquiring fresh value while the price continued to rise. Young
Larkin, who was a shrewd fellow, advised her to 'hold' it till the
value increased still more. She took the advice, and at the proper
moment sold it at a price she never hoped to realise. At the end of a
week she found herself in possession of a sum which was, within a few
pounds, sufficient to procure her lover's discharge from the army!

Poor Lucy could hardly believe her eyes when the manufacturer laid