.

It was on that day that I thought she was not quite honest in her
expressions of joy at the sight of my poor mother, who had been
waiting at the garden-gate near two hours to see her arrive; yet she
might be, for the music had put her in remarkably good spirits that
morning.

O the music quite, quite won lady Harriot's heart! Till miss Lesley
began to play so well, she often lamented the time it would take,
before her daughter would have the air of a person of fashion's child.
It was my part of the general instruction to give her lessons on this
head. We used to make a kind of play of it, which we called lectures
on fashionable manners: it was a pleasant amusement to me, a sort of
keeping up the memory of past times. But now the music was always
in the way. The last time it was talked of, lady Harriot said her
daughter's time was too precious to be taken up with such trifling.

I must own that the music had that effect on miss Lesley as to render
these lectures less necessary, which I will explain to you; but,
first, let me assure you that lady Harriot was by no means in the
habit of saying these kind of things. It was almost a solitary
instance. I could give you a thousand instances the very reverse of
this, in her as well as in sir Edward. How kindly, how frequently,
would they remind me, that to me alone it was owing that they ever
knew their child! calling the day on which I was a petitioner for
the admittance of Ann into the house, the blessed birthday of their
generous girl.

Neither dancing, nor any foolish lectures could do much for miss
Lesley, she remained wanting in gracefulness of carriage; but all that
is usually attributed to dancing, music effected. When she was sitting
before the instrument, a resemblance to her mother became apparent to
every eye. Her attitudes and the expression of her countenance were
the very same. This soon followed her into every thing; all was
ease and natural grace; for the music, and with it the idea of lady
Harriot, was always in her thoughts. It was a pretty sight to see the
daily improvement in her person, even to me, poor envious girl that I
was.

Soon after lady Harriot had hurt me by calling my little efforts to
improve her daughter trifling, she made me large amends in a very kind
and most unreserved conversation that she held with me.

She told me all the struggles she had had at first to feel a maternal
tenderness for her daughter; and she frankly confessed t