had never before been placed under any kind
of instruction. The lady proceeded, more
consistently, to assure me that her children
would give me "no" trouble; they being the
quickest, most obedient, and loveable children
I could possibly have to do with. She
admitted that something less than five
shillings per week was a small recompense for
teaching and training four children four
hours a-day five days in the week, but added
that she thought she could put a little
needlework in my way, to make up a better
income. As my mornings only would be
engaged, I could thus also turn the other
hours to advantage. It would make a change
from the teaching; which, she acknowledged,
must be, as a constant employment, rather
wearisome.

This experience differed very little in one
respect, from my other experiences. Almost
every lady I waited upon spoke as one
conferring a great favour, and seemed to put in
a latent sort of claim upon the whole of my
time, even when the hours mentioned in the
negotiation were few, and the remuneration
very niggardly.

A widow next replied to my advertisement.
She wished me to take charge of two
little girls, aged respectively ten and twelve.
She scarcely inquired from me my qualifications
for the office of teacher; but laid greater
stress on my capabilities for managing a
household. She was, she said, absent from
home during a great part of the year; for,
when not travelling abroad, she visited her
husband's relations with her maid, from
whom she had expectations; and was therefore
obliged to keep up appearances before
them. Her desire was to find some clever
and trustworthy person, who could teach her
children, attend to all their wants, and
manage her household while she was away.
This lady had scarcely attained the middle
age, and made the most by expensive and
well-chosen dress of considerable personal
attractions. Something struck me that I had
seen her before; and, when she mentioned
that each autumn I should have the privilege
of taking her children with her for a little
while into the country, I remembered that I
had once seen this selfish woman at the
South Eastern Railway-station, huddling her
two children and servants into a second-class
carriage, and then securing, for herself, the
best first-class seat she could find.

The widow approached the subject of
terms with caution, but not without tact.
Everything connected with the situation was
(as usual) pointed out as an advantage to
me; and, when all such "advantages" had
been piled up to the highest, point, and set
against (so as to lessen) my claim for
remuneration, the lady mentioned the amount
of salary. For undertaking, not only the
intellectual, but the moral training of her
two little girls; for attending to their
clothing; for managing the house and
servants, and economising tradesmen's bills;
for, in short, relieving this erratic widow of
every responsibility as a mother and a
mistress, I was offered the sum of ten pounds
a-year and my board.

Another lady who, in the evening of her
days, had been left in dreary solitude,
wished to meet with a daily companion of
agreeable manners and lively conversation.
She must be musical, amiable, obliging, and
well dressed. She must commence her duties
every morning soon after nine, and remain
till eight or nine in the evening. She would
have to work, read, and play, and accompany
the lady in her drives and visits. The appearance
of this person was repellant. ln her
youth she might have been passable; but
the cold grey eye and the stony-looking
features seemed to indicate that she had
never been capable of a kindly feeling. Yet
I felt a kind of pity for her, thinking
that hers must have always been a joyless
existence. She looked as if it were impossible
for a smile ever to cross her marble
features. She repeated again and again that
her companion's dress must always be nice and
ladylike. She had always been accustomed to
have all around her in the best style. She
had an intense horror of common things, and
common people, and could not endure them
about her. The reason why she preferred a
daily to a resident companion was, that she
knew, generally speaking, such people had
friends; and she could not be troubled with
her visitors. If we came to terms, therefore,
it must be understood that I must
provide a lodging of my own to receive
my relatives or acquaintances in—of course
before breakfast, or after supper. The
statuesque old dame added the discouraging
statement that she had tried many
companions, but that they had all left her after a
few weeks. I did not wonder at this, from the
frigid, unsympathising manner she showed to
all about her, and therefore declined the ten
shillings a-week which she thought a sufficient
income for a lady to dress well upon;
besides keeping some sort of a roof over her
head.

Many similar letters came. The invariable
reply I met with when I thought the
remuneration too small to be accepted was, "That
is your affair. You can do as you please
about accepting or rejecting my terms; if you
do not take them, there are hundreds of well-
educated females who will only be too happy
to do so." And this always was spoken in a
kind of resentful tone, as if I had materially
injured them by refusing their offers. But
the argument is, alas, a just one. The
circle of employment for women is too
narrow, and the number of competitors too
great; yet, although the market-price (the
proper term, I believe, to be used on this
occasion) for such talents is so very low, why
cannot there be a better feeling exhibited
towards the governess? She is endowed