at, by qualifying yourself for higher
situations than the one which you now hold, you hope to rise in rank
and riches high enough to assist your family, and to enable them to
work in the same manner for their own independence hereafter. This
prospect is quite grand enough for us at present. We must never dream
of being very rich; I am afraid that we must not even hope to
discharge our very heavy obligations to our friends in any other way
than by our gratitude, and by making the best use of their kindness.
The weight of obligation sits heavy on me: I am afraid I am proud, and
therefore it may be well for me that I am obliged to submit to
dependence; but I will never rest till I can relieve our friends from
a charge which extreme kindness has induced them to take upon
themselves, but which must in time become burdensome. How happy
should I be to do any kind of service to any of them! Amidst the
chances and changes of the world, who knows but we may? But I must
not think and write in this way. We must cheerfully and willingly, as
well as most gratefully, accept the kindness which they so cheerfully
and willingly offer. We go on very comfortably on the whole. We work
very hard, but not more so than is good for body and mind, as you
would be convinced if you could see how well we look and how happy we
are together. The only unpleasant circumstance which has occurred
lately, is a misunderstanding between Mrs Everett and myself. I
really cannot tell you, for I do not know myself, what it was about;
but she was, for two or three days, so dissatisfied with me, that I
was afraid of being obliged to give up my charge. I told no one of
it, but determined to bear it quietly for a few days, and to do my
best for the children, and see whether matters would not come round
again. My plan answered: we go on tolerably smoothly again, though
not so very comfortably as before. I must recollect, however, that in
my inexperience I may commit errors in my management of the children,
and that Mrs Everett may justly feel that she has something to bear
with in me. I wish, however, that she would tell me the causes of her
discontent, and then the evil might be remedied without any ill-will
on either side. Before this time, she was as kind as possible, and
will be so again, I hope. I cannot help seeing that the children
improve, and I have the satisfaction of knowi