round the spacious room, and out of the window to the pleasant
shrubbery and smooth-shaven lawn, and shuddered when he thought of the
two young cousins, brought up apparently in the lap of luxury, who were
to be turned out upon the world with 12 pounds a-year for three years. The
elder sister seemed to have a vigorous and robust constitution,
but the younger looked delicate. He saw, in his mind's eye, two
governesses, dragging out a weary and monotonous existence, far from
each other, while he, possessed of superabundance, was debarred from
helping them.

He advanced timidly to the sofa. Alice, who had recovered
consciousness, covered her face with both her hands, and sobbed aloud.
Jane turned towards him a glance, not of reproach, but of pity. He felt
it, and took her hand.

"Believe me, Miss Melville, no one can regret this extraordinary will
as I do. I will overturn it, if I possibly can."

"You cannot," said Jane; "it is quite in keeping with all my uncle's
ideas--quite consistent with all he has told us over and over again.
He had many strange notions, but he was generally in the right, and it
MAY prove to be so now." The sigh that accompanied these words told how
faint her hopes were.

"It has been positive unkindness to bring you up as he did, and now to
throw you upon the world. My beginning was different. How could
he expect the same success for you--women, too?"

"And are women so inferior, then? It was my uncle's cherished belief
that they were not. He said he never saw a woman take up man's work