20 THE MANSE AND ITS INMATES. 



on his own estate, disliking large cities, Edinburgh almost as much 

 as London, and never going to either whenjie could possibly avoid 

 doing so, it was his own wish, and that of Lady Maitland, whose health 

 was delicate, to procure the services of some accomplished, well-edu- 

 cated, and well-principled woman to take the entire charge of them. 

 Sir Kenneth accepted an invitation to dine at Mr. Hurst's, and was 

 much pleased with Ruth's appearance and manners. He waited 

 upon Mrs. Somerive, who not only stated her recommendation ver- 

 bally, but gave it in writing; and it was not till after this statement 

 had been transmitted to Lady Maitland, and her perfect approval of 

 it received, with an urgent entreaty to have the matter settled im- 

 mediately, that the subject was named to Ruth. She had known so 

 few people in her life and had lived so exclusively with them that she 

 could not contemplate a residence among strangers and at so great a 

 distance without fear, and considering it as a sort of banishment ; 

 but when Sir Kenneth, anxious to prevent her being deceived, and 

 consequently dissatisfied, explained to her, with the elaborate earnest- 

 ness of conscientious rectitude, how constantly they resided in the 

 country, how quiet and uniform a life they led, and how entirely 

 Flora and Diana would be confided to her charge, her reluctance 

 vanished, and before Sir Kenneth quitted London it was settled that, 

 having completed her twelvemonths engagement in Lincoln's Inn 

 Field's and given a few weeks to Mrs. Somerive and other friends, 

 that she should proceed to Scotland and enter upon her new duties. 



Ruth felt as if she was about to quit the " house of bondage '' for 

 the land of liberty, a hard taskmistress for a haven of rest ; and so 

 great was her exultation, that her grateful and affectionate nature 

 soon checked her transports, as unbecoming and unworthy, though 

 they had been entirely confined to her own bosom. She was ashamed 

 of being so delighted at the idea of leaving people who, if they did 

 not stop to enquire what was her way of being happy, were always 

 desirous of rendering her so in theirs. No reasoning or feeling 

 could make her life with them agreeable, but it became advantageous 

 as a mental discipline. She still felt the want of leisure for reflec- 

 tion, but she acquired habits of observation, by means of which she 

 Ipid up in her memory a mass of materials for future meditation. 



She was, now that she knew to a certainty the precise period at 

 which she should cease to suffer from it, sometimes inclined to ad- 

 mire and sometimes to be amused at the restless activity of Mrs. 

 Hurst. That lady, with her husband and the two principal clerks, 

 always breakfasted at nine o'clock, but she was regularly down stairs 

 at eight. Between that hour and twelve she arranged every article, 

 even to the most minute, of her domestic economy, and made her 

 own marketing. Mrs. Hurst kept no superfluous servants, but she 

 took care that every thing was properly done, without exacting more 

 labour than was justly due from each, and of this she was an excel- 

 lent judge, with strong and healthy people. She could not be so 

 safely depended upon for persons of a delicate constitution, and for 

 regulating the labours and pursuits of the mind she was totally 

 unfit. 



She was strictly economical, but her economy had no taint of mean- 



