Painting Lessons. 49 



trust in God Almighty." Our mother, in perfect 

 terror, called out, " Dear me ! is it come to that ?" 

 We burst out laughing, skipper and all. 



Nasmyth, an exceedingly good landscape painter 

 had opened an academy for ladies in Edinburgh, a 

 proof pf the gradual improvement which was taking 

 place in the education of the higher classes; my 

 mother, very willingly allowed me to attend it. The 

 class was very full. I was not taught to draw, but 

 looked on while Nasmyth painted ; then a picture 

 was given me to copy, the master correcting the 

 faults. Though I spoilt canvas, I had made some 

 progress by the end of the season.* Mr. Nasmyth, 

 besides being a good artist, was clever, well- 

 informed, and had a great deal of conversation. One 

 day I happened to be near him while he was talking 

 to the Ladies Douglas about perspective. He said, 

 " You should study Euclid's Elements of Geometry; 

 the foundation not only of perspective, but of astro- 

 nomy and all mechanical science." Here, in the most 

 unexpected manner, I got the information I wanted, 

 for I at once saw that it would help me to under- 

 stand some parts of Kobertson's " Navigation ;" but 

 as to going to a bookseller and asking for Euclid the 



* Nasmyth told a lady still alive who took lessons from him in her 

 youth, that the cleverest young lady he ever taught was Miss Mary 

 Fairfax. 



