“I wish you to be one of the family, Miss Melville; to visit and go to public places with Mrs. Phillips.  I think we may dispense with all the masters for my little girls, except for music, and I hope that you will succeed in making them like both you and their lessons.  I also hope, in a short time, to give you still more difficult and delicate work to do, and if you can be successful there, I will be most grateful to you.  Mrs. Phillips has had a very imperfect education; she was born in the colonies, and was married when a mere child, and since her marriage she has had few opportunities of improving herself either by books or society.  I think she feels her deficiencies; so if you could ingratiate yourself with her—­she appears to be most favourably disposed towards you at first sight—­and induce her to learn a little from you, you would add very greatly to our happiness and comfort, and I should be infinitely your debtor.”

Mr. Phillips hesitated, and coloured a little while he made this suggestion.  Jane said she would do what she could, and would be most happy to further his views in this and in every other way; but she felt not a little fearful at the idea of having to ingratiate herself with the woman she had been exhorted to take high ground with, and to teach, probably in the most elementary branches, the most lovely creature she had ever seen, the mistress of the house, and a person several years her senior.  Still, no difficulty—­no honour.  She had wanted full employment, and here she was likely to get it.

Jane did not think she had naturally any great turn for children, but the little Phillipses had been so accustomed to have people pet and yield to them that they actually seemed to enjoy the repose and happiness of obeying, and obeying at once, their calm, grave governess, who never asked them to do anything unreasonable, but yet who always insisted on implicit acquiescence.  They were indebted to her tor the shortening and simplifying of all their lessons in the first place, and that called out a considerable amount of gratitude.  She had a clear way of explaining things to them, and she had such a large information on all subjects that she filled out the dry skeletons of geography and history which children are condemned to learn, and made them look living and real to them.  Their father had taught the two elder girls to read, and to read well and fluently; but they had had no other lessons till they had come to London, and found their hitherto unexercised memories quite overtaxed by masters, who saw that the girls were quick, intelligent, and observant, with a great deal of practical knowledge quite unusual in England at their years, but absolutely devoid of all school acquirements.  They found their lessons much more interesting to learn and much better retained when learned under Miss Melville than under their masters; and though they were not particularly fond of her, they were very happy with her.