740 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



" When he came to dine with us it generally happened that before he de- 

 parted his mother was as much out of humor with him as he was at the beef- 

 steaks being hard, and because I did not know how to clean knives and forks 

 with brick-dust." And again: " When he honored the humble table with his 

 presence, poor I got many a whipping for being awkward at supplying the place 

 of footman or waiter/' 



It is said that his love of luxury was shown in the specimens of 

 English goods and English tailoring he brought back with him from 

 England, while all that William brought back was a copy of Locke 

 " On the Human Understanding," which took all his private means. 



When her father came home to stay he helped her some, and yet, 

 poor man, he did it under difficulties. The parents had never agreed 

 upon the subject of her education. She says : 



" My father wished to give me something like a polished education, but my 

 mother was particularly determined that it should be a rough but at the same 

 time a useful one ; and nothing further she thought was necessary but to send 

 me two or three months to a seamstress to be taught to make household linen. 

 Having added this accomplishment to my former ingenuities, I never afterward 

 could find leisure for thinking of any thing but to contrive and make for the 

 family, in all imaginable forms, whatever was wanting ; and thus I learned to 

 make bags and sword-knots long before I knew how to make caps and furbe- 

 lows. . . . My mother would not consent to my being taught French, and my 

 brother Dietrich was even denied a dancing-master, because she would not per- 

 mit my learning along with him, though the entrance had been paid for us both ; 

 so all my father could do for me was to indulge me (and please himself) some- 

 times with a short lesson on the violin, when my mother was either in good- 

 humor or out of the way. Though I have often felt myself exceedingly at a loss 

 for the want of those few accomplishments of which I was thus, by an erroneous 

 though well-meant opinion of my mother, deprived, I could not help thinking 

 but that she had cause for wishing me not to know more than was necessary for 

 being useful in the family ; for it was her certain belief that my brother William 

 would have returned to his country, and my eldest brother not have looked so 

 high, if they had had a little less learning. . . , But sometimes I found it scarcely 

 possible to get through with the work required, and felt very unhappy that no 

 time at all was left for improving myself in music or fancy-work, in which I had 

 an opportunity of receiving some instruction from an ingenious young woman 

 whose parents lived in the same house Avith us. But the time wanted for spend- 

 ing a few hours together could only be obtained by our meeting at daybreak, 

 because by the time of the family's rising, at seven, I was obliged to be at my 

 daily business. Though I had neither time nor means for producing any thing 

 immediately, either for show or use, I was content with keeping samples of all 

 possible patterns in needlework, beads, bugles, horsehair, etc., for I could not 

 help feeling troubled sometimes about my future destiny; yet I could not bear 

 the idea of being turned into an abigail or housemaid, and thought that with the 

 above and such like acquirements, and with a little notion of music, I might obtain 

 a place as governess in some family where the want of a knowledge of French 

 would be no objection." 



As year by year passed by, William's attachment to England grew 

 stronger. But the poor father, who was failing in strength, became 



