' continued she, 'I have made them for you myself, and
covered them with these pretty red and green papers. This is your
English History, and this is your French Grammar; and here is a
Geography Book, and here is a History of Rome. Now read attentively, and
do not let your thoughts wander; and be very careful not to dogs-ear the
leaves: that always looks like a dunce. And mind you sit upright,' added
she, looking back, as she left the room in obedience to a summons from
her sister.

I obeyed to the best of my power. To be sure, I did not know which was
geography and which was grammar; and English and Roman history were both
alike to me. But I did as I was bid. I sat upright in the place
appointed me, staring as hard as I could at the open pages; and my worst
enemy could not accuse me of dogs-earing a single leaf.

When my mistress returned, she pleased me much by calling me a very good
girl, and saying that if I continued to take so much pains, I could not
fail to improve. On hearing this, Willy laughed, and said he hoped that
that was a duplicate of Margaret's last speech; and Rose looked very
happy, and answered that not only Margaret, but Mama had said the same.

This was not my only duplicate of Rose's adventures. My education
appeared to be conducted precisely on the same plan as her own. Before
long, she brought a little pianoforte and set it up in my drawing-room.
I thought it rather hid the pretty paper, but it was a handsome piece of
furniture.

'Now, Lady Seraphina,' said Rose, 'I am obliged to practise for an hour
every day, and you must do the same. See what a pretty piano I have
given you. You need not mind its being meant for a housewife and
pincushion; the notes are marked, and that is all you want. Now practise
your scales, and be very careful to play right notes and count your
time.'

I sat at my piano with all due diligence, but I am sorry to say that my
progress did not seem satisfactory. One day Rose said that she was sure
I had forgotten to count; and another day, that I hurried the easy bars
and slackened the difficult ones; then she accused me of not caring
whether I played right notes or wrong, and torturing her ear by my false
chords; then I banged the notes till I broke the strings: in short,
there was no end to her complaints, till at last she wound them all up
by declaring that both she and I hated music, and that if Mama and
Margaret would take her advice, we should both leave it off.