48 Mary Somerville. 



painted miniatures, and from seeing her at work, 1 

 took a fancy to learn to draw, and actually wasted 

 time in copying prints ; but this circumstance en- 

 abled me to get elementary books on Algebra and 

 Geometry without asking questions of any one, as 

 will be explained afterwards. The rest of the sum- 

 mer I spent in playing on the piano and learning 

 Greek enough to read Xenophon and part of Hero- 

 dotus ; then we prepared to go to Edinburgh. 



My mother was so much afraid of the sea that she 

 never would cross the Firth except in a boat belonging 

 to a certain skipper who had served in the Navy and 

 lost a hand ; he had a hook fastened on the stump 

 to enable him to haul ropes. My brother and I were 

 tired of the country, and one sunny day we per- 

 suaded my mother to embark. When we came to 

 the shore, the skipper said, "I wonder that the 

 leddy boats to-day, for though it is calm here under 

 the lee of the land, there is a stiff breeze outside." 

 We made him a sign to hold his tongue, for we 

 knew this as well as he did. Our mother went 

 down to the cabin and remained silent and quiet foi 

 a time ; but when we began to roll and be tossed 

 about, she called out to the skipper, " George ! this 

 is an awful storm, 1 am sure we are in great danger. 

 Mind how you steer ; remember, I trust in you ! " 

 He laughed, and said, " Dinna trust in me, leddy ; 



