t she should take a situation which would make her
forget herself, and her poor old pensioner of a father; and, begging
your honour's pardon, that is the real state of the case, my lady."

What my mother felt at this slap at her I do not know, but certain it is
that she was satisfied with my father taking the responsibility of
refusal on his own shoulders, and she therefore continued--"I often have
told Mr Saunders how happy I was when under your ladyship's protection,
and what a fortunate person I considered myself; but my husband has
always had such an objection to my girl being brought up to it, that I
have (of course, my lady, as it is my duty to him to do so) given up my
own wishes from the first; indeed, my lady, had I not known that my
little girl was not to go to service, I never should have ventured to
have called her Virginia, my lady."

"What, then, do you intend her for?" said Sir Hercules to my father.
"You don't mean to bring her up as a lady, do you?"

"No, your honour, she's but a pensioner's daughter, and I wishes her to
be humble, as she ought to be; so I've been thinking that something in
the millinery line, or perhaps--"

"As a governess, my lady," interrupted my mother, with a courtesy.
"That will make her humble enough, at all events," observed the bald
gentleman in black, with a smile.

"I admit," replied Lady Hercules, "that your having given my name to
your little girl is a strong reason for her not going into service; but
there are many expenses attending the education necessary for a young
person as governess."

Here my mother entered into an explanation of how Virginia had been
educated--an education which she should not have dreamt of giving, only
that her child bore her ladyship's name, etcetera. My mother employed
her usual flattery and humility, so as to reconcile her ladyship to the
idea; who was the more inclined when she discovered that she was not
likely to be put to any expense in her patronage of my sister. It was
finally agreed that Virginia should be educated for the office of
governess, and that when she was old enough Lady Hercules would take her
under her august protection; but her ladyship did do her some service.
Finding that Virginia was at a respectable school, she called there with
a party of ladies, and informed the schoolmistress that the little girl
was under her protection, and that she trusted that justice would be
done to her education. In a school where the