It will be difficult for them to
grow kindly, and liberal, and truthful, with such examples as they have
before their eyes. They advance like the snail on the wall, creeping
three inches on in the day, and falling back two at night. They get out
of a pretty mood of mind in the morning, and expand and grow interested
in things out of Deerbrook; and then, in the evening, the greater part
of this is undone, and they go to bed with their heads full of small,
vile notions about their neighbours."

"And when they grow too wise to have their heads so filled, their hearts
will be heavy for those who are not rising like themselves."

"That is unavoidable, and they must bear the sorrow. We must hope that
they will disperse from Deerbrook, and find their way into a more genial
society than they can ever know here. I must keep the confidence of my
children sacred even from you, Margaret: but you may believe me when I
tell you, that if you knew all that we have to say to one another, you
would find some of these children animated with really noble thoughts,
and capable of really generous acts."

"`Some of them.' Mary, in particular, I venture to conjecture to be in
your thoughts."

"Yes: Mary in particular; but she had always a more gentle and generous
temper than her sisters. Fanny, however, is improving remarkably."

"I am delighted to hear it, and I had begun to suspect it. Fanny, I
observe, lays fewer informations than she did; and there is more of
thought, and less of a prying expression, in her face. She is really
growing more like Mary in countenance. The little Rowlands--the younger
ones--seem simple enough; but Matilda, what a disagreeable child she
is!"

"The most that can be done with her is to leave her only a poor
creature--to strip her of the conceit and malice with which her mother
would overlay her feeble intellect. This sounds deplorably enough; but,
as parents will not speak the plain truth to themselves about their
charge, governesses must. There is, perhaps, little better material in
Fanny: but I trust we may one day see her more lowly than she can at
present relish the idea of being, and with energy enough to improve
under the discipline of life, when she can no longer have that of
school. She and Mary have been acknowledging to-day a fine piece of
experience. Mr Grey is pleased with their great Improvement in Latin.
He finds they can read, with ease and pleasure, some favourite classical
s