48 THE GOVERNESS : HOW SHE CAME ONE, 



she'd catch her death of cold to keep those 

 on that's by the fire. I did get her to, with 

 some coaxing, poor thing, though she sobbed 

 as if her heart would break when I wrapped 

 her up well and made her comfortable, and 

 saw her into the village." 



A few evenings after this, she came 

 again, and brought back my wife's things. 

 We were sitting round the table, and our 

 little boy was drawing in his way to amuse 

 himself, and had got a sprig of jasmine. 

 She didn't seem in any hurry to go, but 

 took her bonnet off, and sat down with us, 

 and took his pencil, and showed him how to 

 make it look more natural, and said, if he 

 would like to learn, she should like to teach 

 him a little; and she drew him a stalk, 

 with a leaf and flower, and bid him copy 

 them a good many times, till he could do 

 them well, and she would give him another 

 lesson when she came again. After this, 

 she often looked in, and very kind she 

 grew; and, like every body else, she told 

 my wife all her troubles, an odd thing to 

 me ; but I take it they looked upon her as 

 a kind of nurse. Her father had been quite 

 a gentleman, but spent all his money while 



