rm in a little
mathematics. But there's a difficulty in finding the suitable person."
She smiled. "I'm afraid only a lady will answer the purpose."

"Better, no doubt," assented Eleanor, also with a smile.

"And ladies who would be any good to Cecily are not at one's
disposition every day. What an admirable mind she has! I never knew any
one acquire with so little effort. Of course, she has long ago left me
behind in everything. The only use I can be to her is to help her in
gaining knowledge of the world--not to be learnt entirely out of books,
we know."

"What is your system with her?"

"You see that I have one," said Mrs. Lessingham, gratified, and
rustling her plumage a little as a lady does when she is about to speak
in confidence of something that pleases her. "Of course, I very soon
understood that the ordinary _surveillance_ and restrictions and moral
theories were of little use in her case. (I may speak with you quite
freely, I am sure.) I'm afraid the results would have been very sad if
Cecily had grown up in Lancashire."

"I doubt whether she would have grown up at all."

"Indeed, it seemed doubtful. If her strength had not utterly failed,
she must have suffered dreadfully in mind. I studied her carefully
during the first two years; then I was able to pursue my method with a
good deal of confidence. It has been my aim to give free play to all
her faculties; to direct her intelligence, but never to check its
growth--as is commonly done. We know what is meant by a girl's
education, as a rule; it is not so much the imparting of knowledge as
the careful fostering of special ignorances. I think I put it rightly?"

"I think so."

"It is usual to say that a girl must know nothing of this and that and
the other thing--these things being, in fact, the most important for
her to understand. I won't say that every girl can safely be left so
free as I have left Cecily; but when one has to deal with exceptional
intelligence, why not yield it the exceptional advantages? Then again,
I had to bear in mind that Cecily has strong emotions. This seemed to
me only another reason for releasing her mind from the misconceptions
it is usual to encourage. I have done my best to help her to see things
as they _are_, not as moral teachers would like them to be, and as
parents make-believe to their girls that they are indeed."

Mrs. Lessingham ended on a suave note of triumph, and smiled very
graciously as Eleanor looked appro