School. 21 



was of no practical use, for, as my after-life was 

 spent in towns, I never had a garden, to my great 

 regret. 



George the Third was so popular, that even in 

 Burntisland nosegays were placed in every window 

 on the 4th of June, his birthday ; and it occasionally 

 happened that our garden was robbed the preceding 

 night of its gayest flowers. 



My father at last aid to my mother, " This kind 

 of life will never do, Mary must at least know 

 how to write and keep accounts." So at ten years 

 old I was sent to a boarding-school, kept by a 

 Miss Primrose, at Musselburgh, where I was utterly 

 wretched. The change from perfect liberty to per- 

 petual restraint was in itself a great trial ; besides, 

 being naturally shy and timid, I was afraid of 

 strangers, and although Miss Primrose was not 

 unkind she had an habitual frown, which even the 

 elder girls dreaded. My future companions, who 

 were all older than I, came round me like a 

 swarm of bees, and asked if my father had a title, 

 what was the name of our estate, if we kept 

 a carriage, and other such questions, which made 

 me first feel the difference of station. However, 

 the girls were very kind, and often bathed my 

 eyes to prevent our stern mistress from seeing 

 that I was perpetually in tears. A few days after 



