His--courts--un--to," ground the organ in the inevitable
pause. And then my cousin took courage and made another start--"Three
and four and one and two and," etc.; but at the old place the nasal
notes of the other instrument evoked "al--ways," from my memory; and
Maria pausing in despair, the Old Hundredth finished triumphantly,
"For--it--is--seemly--so--to--do."

At half-past eight Maria stopped abruptly in the middle of her run,
and Nurse took me down to the school-room for breakfast.

The school-room was high and narrow, with a very old carpet, and a
very old piano, some books, two globes, and a good deal of feminine
rubbish in the way of old work-baskets, unfinished sewing, etc. There
were two long windows, the lower halves of which were covered with
paint. This mattered the less as the only view from them was of
backyards, roofs, and chimneys. Living as I did, so much alone with my
father, I was at first oppressed by the number of petticoats in the
room--five girls of ages ranging from twelve to six, and a grown-up
lady in a spare brown stuff dress and spectacles.

As we entered she came quickly forward and shook Nurse by the hand.

"How do you do, Mrs. Bundle? Very glad to see you again, Mrs. Bundle."

Nurse Bundle shook hands first, and curtsied afterwards.

"I'm very well, thank you, ma'am, and hope you're the same. Master
Reginald Dacre, ma'am. This lady is Miss Blomfield, Master Reginald;
and I hope you'll behave properly, and give the lady no trouble."

"I'm the governess, my dear," said Miss Blomfield, emphatically. (She
always "made a point" of announcing her dependent position to
strangers. "It is best to avoid any awkwardness," she was wont to
say; and I saw glances and smiles exchanged on this occasion between
the girls.) Miss Blomfield was very kind to me. Indeed she was kind to
every one. Her other peculiarities were conscientiousness and the
fidgets, and tendencies to fine crochet, calomel, and Calvinism, and
an abiding quality of harassing and being harassed, which I may here
say is, I am convinced, a common and most unfortunate atmosphere of
much of the process of education for girls of the upper and middle
classes in England.

At this moment my aunt came in.

"Good morning, Miss Blomfield."

"Good morning, Mrs. Ascott," the governess hastily interposed. "I hope
you're well this morning."

"Good morning, girls. Good morning, Nurse. How do you, Regie? All
right this morning? Bless me, th