“Dear me,” exclaimed Enna, “how you’re always spending money on strangers, when your own relations could find plenty of use for it!”

Elsie smiled slightly at this peculiar view taken of her generous offer, but only added, “I would, if you would accept—­”

“I’m no object of charity,” interrupted Louise, coldly.

“Certainly not,” Elsie said, coloring, “yet why should you object to giving so near a relative the pleasure of—­But in this instance ’tis I who am asking a favor of you.  I want to help the Fosters and cannot do so directly, without wounding their honest pride of independence.”

“You will of course employ Lucinda to teach your own?”

“No, I am not in want of a governess.  Would you like to have Anna give lessons to your girls in music and drawing?”

“Is she to teach yours?” asked Enna.

“No; M. Reboul has them under his instruction, and as he gives entire satisfaction, I could not feel it right to turn him away.”

“H’m! teachers that are not good enough for your children, are not good enough for ours.”

“If I were in want of teachers, I should employ the Misses Foster,” was Elsie’s quiet reply.

Nothing more was said for a moment, then rising to go, “I am then to consider my proposition declined?” she remarked, inquiringly.

“Well no, since you put it on the ground of a favor to yourself, I should be sorry to refuse to gratify you,” said Louise.

“Thank you.  And you, Enna?”

“She can teach mine if she wants to, and if I could afford it, Annie should give music lessons to Molly; drawing too; but if I can’t, I can’t.”

“It need be no expense to you,” said Elsie.

“Very well then, you can engage her and fix the terms to suit yourself.”

“Thank you; I shall enjoy their pleasure in hearing that they have so many pupils already secured.”

Elsie’s benevolent kindness did not stop here; she called on a number of families in the vicinity, and succeeded in obtaining almost as many pupils for the girls as they could well attend to.

Then another difficulty arose:—­the distances were too great for the young ladies to traverse on foot, and they had no means of conveyance.

But this was obviated for the present by giving them the use of Prince and Princess, either with or without the phaeton, during the hours of the day that such help was needed.

The ponies were sent over to the cottage every morning, after the children had had their ride, by an Ion servant, who returned for them in the afternoon.

Mrs. Leland heard of her friend’s efforts, and going over to Ion, asked, “Why did you not call on me? my children need instruction.”

“I hardly liked to ask it of you.”

“And I feel a delicacy about proposing the thing to the Fosters, but—­I would be very glad to help them; and if you can learn that they would not mind coming to Fairview for the sake of several more scholars, I authorize you to make the engagement for me.”