and will leave my cousins the undisturbed possession of Cross Hall for
a month. In the meantime, I feel as if my presence must be a painful
intrusion. I must leave you."

"Perhaps," said Jane, "though you cannot give us money, you may
be able to give us advice. You are going to Edinburgh; you may see or
hear of something we could do."

"I should be most happy to do so. What line of life should you like to
enter on?"

"Anything we could make a living by."

"Then I suppose a governess's situation?"

"I might teach boys, but I have not learned what would qualify me to
instruct girls. But I do thoroughly understand bookkeeping, write a
good hand, have gone through Euclid, and know as much of the classics
as nine out of ten young men in my rank of life. But my uncle cared
very little for the classics. I know a good deal of chemistry and
mineralogy, but uncle was most pleased with my bookkeeping. How did you
get on when you began to work for yourself?"

"I entered the bank as a junior clerk, at the age of sixteen, and got
30 pounds for the first two years. An unknown friend--I know now who he
was--who had paid for my education and all other expenses
previously, sent me 12 pounds a year for three years to help out my
earnings."

"And you could live on that?" said Jane.