“No, she dares not do it; for I am useful, and save her much trouble, and I have so much confidence in myself that I will not be interfered with; but poor Elsie is so diffident, so humble, so anxious to please, that she is constantly imposed on by an ignorant, thoughtless woman.  Every one imposes on Elsie.  Miss Phillips is inconsiderate, too, though she should know better.  The servants impose on her, and the children, too—­though she is so fond of the children, that I think on the whole they do her good.”

“Do not you find that Elsie being here in such a capacity makes your superintendence of the servants more difficult?” asked Francis.

“Yes; I require to be more circumspect and more firm; but my life is quite easy, compared to hers.  If I could only restore Elsie to that moderately good opinion which she used to have of herself in her more prosperous days, a great grief would be taken off my heart.  I am the strongest, why should not I have the most to bear?”

“Have you tried her poems in London personally?”

“I have, but without success, and she has quite lost the wish to have them published.  Your good opinion of her verses only gave her a little temporary encouragement.”

“She writes none now, I suppose?”

“She has no time even if she had the inclination.  Mrs. and Miss Phillips keep her so busy that I have difficulty in getting her out in the middle of the day to join me and the children in our walk or drive; but that the doctor insisted on as absolutely necessary, and I will not allow her to be deprived of it.  He took quite a fancy to Elsie, and showed her much kindness.  You ought to go to see him for your father’s sake.  But as to Elsie’s poetry, she does nothing in this way except improvising to the children in the evening, as she is sitting at work.  When they found out that she could, as they said, ’make verses up out of her own head,’ they think all their stories should be transferred into ballads, and either said or sung to them.  They are honest in their admiration of the talent, but rather exacting in their demands for its exercise; on the whole, I think, however, that it does her good, and I know the children are fonder of her than of me.  I am so glad to see her preferred.”

“Do you see much of Mr. Brandon?  Could not he restore your sister to the self-appreciation so essential to happiness and contentment?”

Jane shook her head.  “He is devoting himself to Miss Phillips, and Elsie scarcely ever sees him.”

“One consequence of her taking this situation,” said Francis, somewhat impatiently.  “I fancy he admired her when I saw him at Peggy Walker’s, months ago, and that he only wanted to be more in her society to have the impression deepened.  Did you not think so?”

“His admiration went a little way, but not far,” said Jane.

“Not so far as to lead to a proposal?” said Francis.