ut
customs.

On Sunday Eleanor used to read Jeremy Taylor's _Holy Living and Dying_;
but as we never were allowed to be alone, she was obliged to bring it
down-stairs. Unfortunately, the result of this was that Miss Mulberry,
having taken it away to "look it over," pronounced it "not at all proper
reading for young ladies," and it was confiscated. After this Eleanor
reserved her devotional reading for bed-time, when, if she had got
fairly through her lessons for next day, I was wont to read the Bible
and other "good books" to her in a tone modulated so as not to reach
Madame's watchful ear.

Once she caught us.

The books of Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus from the Apocrypha were favourite
reading with Eleanor, who seemed in the grandly poetical praises of
wisdom to find some encouragement under the difficulties through which
we struggled towards a very moderate degree of learning. I warmly
sympathized with her; partly because much of what I read was beautiful
to read, even when I did not quite understand it; and partly because
Eleanor had inspired me also with some of her own fervour against "the
great war of ignorance."

But, as I said, Madame caught us at last.

Eleanor was lying, yet dressed, upon her bed, the window was open, and
I, sitting cross-legged on the floor, was giving forth the prayer of the
Son of Sirach, with (as I flattered myself) no little impressiveness. As
the chapter went on my voice indiscreetly rose:

"When I was yet young, or ever I went astray, I desired wisdom openly in
my prayer.

"I prayed for her before the temple, and will seek her out even to the
end.

"Even from the flower till the grape was ripe hath my heart delighted in
her: my foot went the right way, from my youth up I sought after her.

"I bowed down mine ear a little, and received her, and gat much
learning.

* * * * *

"Draw near unto me, ye unlearned, and dwell in the house of learning.

* * * * *

"Put your neck under the yoke, and let your soul receive instruction:
she is hard at hand to find.

"Behold with your eyes, how that I have had but little labour, and have
gotten unto me much rest.

"Get learning----"

"Eh, mesdemoiselles! This is going to bed, is it? Ah! Give me that book,
then."

I handed over in much confusion the thin S.P.C.K. copy of the
Apocrypha, bound in mottled calf, from which I had been reading; and
ordering us to go to bed at