1 6 THE WORLD'S WORKERS. 



make much progress, he advised her to persevere, and 

 told her that in ancient times many women of the 

 highest rank had been elegant Latin scholars. More- 

 over, he promised that if she would come to him every 

 morning before breakfast for an hour or two, he would 

 help her with her lessons. All this was quite a change 

 for Mary. Hitherto her friends had disapproved of 

 her devotion to study, and had reproved her for it. 

 Can we wonder that in old age she said, " I never 

 was happier in my life than during the months I spent 

 at Jedburgh." 



For some time after this the history of Mary 

 Fairfax is made up of the recapitulation of the 

 subjects of study which, one after another, she took 

 up. She learned to draw, and " actually wasted time 

 in copying prints." Later, she had an opportunity of 

 attending an academy presided over by Nasmyth, 

 an exceedingly good landscape painter. Her own 

 estimate of her performances was modest enough. " I 

 spoilt canvas," she said, "but I had made some 

 progress by the end of the season." Many years 

 afterwards, however, the master told a lady of his 

 acquaintance that " the cleverest young lady he ever 

 taught was Miss Mary Fairfax." 



About the same time, too, she began to learn 

 Greek, and took a keen interest in the politics of the 

 day. Indeed, it was a characteristic of the future 

 Mrs. Somerville that when she was a girl she never 

 allowed herself to miss an opportunity of learning. 



