ere of excellent moral character, and much
esteemed. Many years afterwards, when Mrs. Siddons was an old woman, I
drank tea with her, and heard her read Milton and Shakespeare. Her
daughter told us to applaud, for she had been so much accustomed to it
in the theatre that she could not read with spirit without this
expression of approbation.

My mother was pleased with my music and painting, and, although she did
not go to the theatre herself, she encouraged me to go. She was quite of
the old school with regard to the duties of women, and very particular
about her table; and, although we were obliged to live with rigid
economy, our food was of the best quality, well dressed, and neatly
served, for she could tell the cook exactly what was amiss when anything
was badly cooked. She thought besides that some of the comfort of
married life depended upon the table, so I was sent to a pastrycook for
a short time every day, to learn the art of cookery. I had for
companions Miss Moncreiff, daughter of Sir Henry Moncreiff Wellwood, a
Scotch baronet of old family. She was older than I, pretty, pleasing,
and one of the belles of the day. We were amused at the time, and
afterwards made jellies and creams for little supper parties, then in
fashion, though, as far as economy went, we might as well have bought
them.

On returning to Burntisland, I played on the piano as diligently as
ever, and painted several hours every day. At this time, however, a Mr.
Craw came to live with us as tutor to my youngest brother, Henry. He had
been educated for the kirk, was a fair Greek and Latin scholar, but,
unfortunately for me, was no mathematician. He was a simple,
good-natured kind of man, and I ventured to ask him about algebra and
geometry, and begged him, the first time he went to Edinburgh, to buy me
something elementary on these subjects, so he soon brought me "Euclid"
and Bonnycastle's "Algebra," which were the books used in the schools at
that time. Now I had got what I so long and earnestly desired. I asked
Mr. Craw to hear me demonstrate a few problems in the first book of
"Euclid," and then I continued the study alone with courage and
assiduity, knowing I was on the right road. Before I began to read
algebra I found it necessary to study arithmetic again, having forgotten
much of it. I never was expert at addition, for, in summing up a long
column of pounds, shillings, and pence, in the family account book, it
seldom came out twice the