Alison’s report the next day was—­“Well, she is a very sweet creature.  There is something indescribably touching in her voice and eyes, so soft and wistful, especially when she implores one not to be hard on those great scrambling boys of hers.”

“So she is your fate?”

“Oh, yes, if there had been ten more engagements offered, I could not have helped accepting hers, even if it had not been on the best terms I have ever had.”

“What?”

“Seventy—­for the hours between nine and five.  Pretty well for a journeyman hack, is it not?  Indeed, the pretty thing’s only fear seemed to be that she was requiring too much, and offering too little.  No, not her only fear, for there is some major in the distance to whose approval everything must be subject—­uncle or guardian, I suppose, but he seemed to be rather an object of jealousy to the younger Miss Curtis, for every hint of wishing to wait for the Major made her press on the negotiations.”

“Seventy!  I hope you will make it do, Ailie.  It would be a great relief.”

“And spare your brains not a little.  Yes, I do trust to keeping it, for Lady Temple is delightful; and as to the boys, I fancy it is only taming they want.  The danger is, as Miss Rachel told me, whether she can bear the sight of the process.  I imagine Miss Rachel herself has tried it, and failed.”

“Part amateur work,” said Ermine, smiling.  “It really is lucky you had to turn governess, Ailie, or there would have been a talent thrown away.”

“Stay till I have tried,” said Alison, who had, however, had experience enough not to be much alarmed at the prospect.  Order was wont to come with her presence, and she hardly knew the aspect of tumultuous idleness or insubordination to unenforced authority; for her eye and voice in themselves brought cheerful discipline without constraint, and upheld by few punishments, for the strong influence took away the spirit of rebellion.

After her first morning’s work she came home full of good auguries; the boys had been very pleasant with her after the first ten minutes, and Conrade had gained her heart by his attention to his mother.  He had, however, examined her minutely whether she had any connexion with the army, and looked grave on her disavowal of any relationship with soldiers; Hubert adding, “You see, Aunt Rachel is only a civilian, and she hasn’t any sense at all.”  And when Francis had been reduced to the much disliked process of spelling unknown words, he had muttered under his breath, “She was only a civilian.”  To which she had rejoined that “At least she knew thus much, that the first military duty was obedience,” and Francis’s instant submission proved that she had made a good shot.  Of the Major she had heard much more.  Everything was referred to him, both by mother and children, and Alison was the more puzzled as to his exact connexion with them.  “I sometimes suspect,” she said, “that he may have felt the influence of those winsome brown eyes and caressing manner, as I know I should if I were a man.  I wonder how long the old general has been dead?  No, Ermine, you need not shake your head at me.  I don’t mean even to let Miss Curtis tell me if she would.  I know confidences from partisan relations are the most mischief-making things in the world.”