she would say that she knew a wealthy lady, the head of a family, who had derived the greatest possible benefit from the instructions of “Educatrix.”  If asked who she was, she could answer, that “Educatrix” would on no account allow the name to be made known, as it was a great merit of her system that she kept the names of her pupils a profound secret from each other, and from the rest of the world.  The good sense of this regulation would at once be appreciated by all mature ladies who wished to repair the defects of their early education.  Her own position as the mistress of an elegant mansion in Twenty-third street, would (Mrs. Crull reasoned) entitle her statement to ready belief.

The plan worked capitally.  “Educatrix” received fifty answers to her advertisement, and was busy more than a week calling at the houses of those who desired an interview with her.  The ladies were all in good circumstances, and, without an exception, were the wives of men who had made sudden fortunes, after the manner common in the United States.  Finding themselves elevated above the necessity of cooking their own dinners and washing their own clothes, they keenly felt the want, hitherto unknown, of an education which would fit them, in a measure, for that society whose portals were now thrown wide open to them.  Miss Pillbody’s gentle manners and polished ways gained for her the confidence of all; and she could have had fifty pupils daily, at two dollars a lesson (the fixed price), of one hour each, if it had been possible to teach that number.

Acting on the advice of Mrs. Crull, Miss Pillbody decided to accept only twelve pupils, for twenty-four lessons each, and devote six hours daily to them.  This arrangement would give her six pupils a day; and the twelve would complete their course in about two months.  Then she could take twelve more, and so on.  It was plain, from the success of the first experiment, that there would never be a scarcity of pupils.

Mrs. Crull then rented the first floor and basement of a suitable house in a quiet neighborhood, furnished it nicely, hired a grand piano for the front parlor, and turned over the premises and their contents to her young teacher.  Miss Pillbody brought her mother to their new home, a fair share of which had been set apart and fitted up expressly for her.

The old lady admitted, with some reluctance, that the house was not badly furnished, and that her daughter’s prospects might be worse than they were.  But who was this mysterious woman, that took such an interest in her daughter?  What was her motive? she would like to know.  And why was she so anxious to avoid her (Mrs. Pillbody)?  To which questions her daughter responded, as she had done fifty times before, that her teaching was strictly private, and that none of her pupils would visit her, except under a pledge of the profoundest secrecy.  Mrs. Pillbody shook her head doubtingly, and said, “We shall see,” adding that she only hoped they would be as comfortable there as they were at Uncle John’s and Daniel’s, that was all.