Confessions of a Young Lady

red for the very worst, we used to discuss among ourselves how, if we were left without a farthing, we should earn one. Though I am p

ared that nothing was easier than to go to South Africa; find what he called a "claim," on which there were tons of gold, or so many pounds to the ton, I do not quite know which; turn it into a company, and there you were, a millionaire, in what he termed "a brace of shakes." But it appeared to me that that "brace of shakes" would be some time in coming. First, he would have to get to South Africa, then he would have to find his "claim,"--and there was no proof that they were found by everyone; then he would have to get his company

nd on the efforts of the masculine portion of the family we should apparently have to go ve

uch a few ways in whic

aren'

beyond anything. She was sitting on the edge of the table, with a coal scoop in one hand and a toasting-fork in the other. Nora always was of a pessimistic description. She invariably looked on the b

ere's writing. There are girls who wri

can't write ge

rying her own hand. The stat

at the lots of governess

nted. I prefer

wing for the

for the moon--unless you're a perfec

experiences of her own. Her

do seem to be a tremendous number of them ab

o you know"--she brought the toasting-fork and coal scoop together with a bang--"that I've gone in for seventy-two of all sorts and kinds, and never won a single prize, not even a consolation. And some of them we

or

gs, solved things, sold things,--once I tried to sell a lot of papers in the village for the sake of the coupons, but no one would buy a single copy. It was a frightful loss. I do beli

you about the competition was headed "Delineation of Character by Handwriting." You had to write, on a sheet of paper, a sentence not exceeding twelve words in length. This you had to put into an envelope, which you had to seal and endorse with a pseudonym. This envelope you had to p

ance was but a small one. But, on the other hand, what was a shilling? And, also, some people's writing was better than others. As a matter of fact, I rather fancied my own. It had been admir

which the family was already credited--making seventy-three. What was that? The question was, what sentence should I send. You were left to choose your own. But the presumption was that

good and she had to leave. Before she left I asked her to write a motto in my book of mottoes. Although she said she would, when I came to look for the book I could not find it anywhere. Somehow, in those days, my

ly goes safely

or safely, or--in the sense in which the word was there used--far. But, for the purpose of the present competition, that was not a matter of the slightest consequence. I made six copies of Miss W

ick, who was once rude enough to ask me if I wrote with the end of a broom-stick. While Nora--after her revelations of

Wednesday the results were announced. Either not many sentences were sent in, or there must have been someone in the office who was uncommonly quick at reading character. There used to be a girl at Lingfield House who pretended to read character from

seemed to give a jump inside me, so that I trembled all over. I could hardly tear it open. There were three things inside. One--could I believe my eyes? at first I felt that they must be playing me a trick--but one really was a cheque--"Pay Molly Boyes or Order One Hundred Pounds." I believe that at the sight of it I very nearly fainted. I never have done quite; but I think that I very nearly did do then. It was a most odd sensation. I was positively glad to feel the wall at my back, and I went hot and cold all over. O

I tore up the stairs about thre

, "I've won a h

so engrossed in her book that she di

like that; especially as I've just got to

e her the editor's letter and the cheque. "Seventy-two times you've tried, at lea

you talk

Dick's room I'll te

sently the whole family were gathered about Dick's bed. Nora had put on a dressi

d over, and held it up to the light to see if it was a forgery, "

Nora, "that those prize competitio

ympathetic--or

beastly jealousy. I'm jolly glad you have

ad mine tinkered so many times that the

aned Con. "That's about the twentieth time

sure not to be very far behind. Fortunately nowadays bicycles are so cheap; and then we could always give our old ones in exchange; so, supposing the worst came to the worst, and we were all penniless, even a

em to have all they wanted in the way of ventilation. So as Jim's handle-bar had come off, and could not be induced to remain where it ought to be, we left them to console each other. Of course Dick, who rides tremendously fast, got to the station first, and Jack next. Nora and I never got there

e man who runs this paper," shouted Dick. "Let's get to the

nfolding his paper Dick read aloud from it,

rden, Sussex, to whom a cheque for one hundred pounds has accordingly been sent. Her character, as declared by her caligraphy, is as follows.'--Now then, all yo

ear!" fr

ualities which she hasn't got--'Patience and thoughtfulness, a high standard of honour, clear-sightedness, resolution combined with a sweet and tranquil temper,'--what ho!--'are all clearly shown. The writer is strong on both the moral and the intellectual side. A large and beautiful faith is

ghtfulness. I had not been hitherto aware that I was the owner of "a sweet and tranquil temper," or of "a serene tranquillity of temperament," or of "calm persistence." Indeed, there were one or two little matters i

ep to myself. I opened the desk, got out the note-paper, found the pen, and just as I had got as far as--"My darling Hetty,--I've won a fortune! You never will guess how!"--I thought of Miss Winston's sentence. It was that which had brought me

the envelope, took out the sheet of paper. On it was the sentence, not in Miss Winston's small, exquisite penmanship, but in my own great

d been adjudicated on, her character which had been deduced therefrom. The thing was as plain as plain could be--the whole business had had nothing whatever to do with me. I re-perused the winning character as it appeared in the pap

ave all at once stood still; as if something had happened to the works. It was perfectly awful. Here was my name printed in great big letters in the paper; with my character underneath

the money

my property. Really, if you looked at it from one point of view, the hundred pounds belonged to me as much as to anybody else. I had only to keep my own counsel and it was impossible that anyone should even guess that there was anything

ight down upon the

like a great overgrown baby!--someone came into the

t the door, and when no one answered I thought I

e look an object; and here I had been howling myself inside out for goodness alone knew how long. I dabbed at my eyes with my pocket-handkerchief--though I knew I made a fresh smear every time

g?--that the Ogre has been g

e to gasp o

e's--been--giving

advisable to seem not to notice that th

thing herself--and very well she seems to have done it too; but the fact makes it somewhat difficult for a stranger to probe quickly to the bottom of everything; and the Ogre's proceedings have not made it easier. But so far as I have gone, I have ascertained beyond all doubt that instead of being in fear of the workhouse--as someone suggested--you are very comfort

mething to avoid meeting his eyes; so I opened the envelope, and started reading Hetty's lette

I've only just found it out by the merest accident. It seems that she's living in a little cottage at a place called Angmering, somewhere near Worthing. She's been ill ever so long, and able to do no work, or earn a penny. So that she

at that very moment. Penniless! Starving! And there was that hundred pounds--her hundred pounds--lying on the table. Was it possible that I had even remotely contemplated the possibility of--of doing

se you pain. I assure you that nothing was further from her intention

ent, so full of understanding and of sympathy; indeed, he was much more sympathetic than I deserved. Still, e

ly a relation. One's relatives are apt to take such a narrow view. I am convinced that no one could have taken a broader view than Mr Sanford did; and he never laughed once. That, in itself, was an immense relief. I have noticed in Nora, even when I have been confidin

extremely soothing in his manner that I let it pass.--"And so this has been the cause of the trouble." He picked up the copy of the sentence which I had meant to send to the

be ho

esting that the character given in the p

w it i

does not hint at something equally

Sanf

the expression of my opinion. In any case, you

have been winning other people's m

t this lady is in sore straits. Well, you have gained for her what, in her posi

er mea

y nice way of putting things. "I would suggest that you yourself take the money to this lady at once. Her pleasure at seeing it will only be

ely had he stopped speaking tha

gentlemen asked me to tell you that they've gone o

e, the stars in their courses are on the side of Miss Winston. I

h curious notions--even when they are grown up. I had to scrub my face to make it clean. The condition of my hair was f

ive-and-thirty minutes. If you can get down inside the next five

ft my hair nearly as it was; jammed my h

t kept you waiti

" he said. "I ha

It sounded very rude. Almost

tic perhaps, and a little inclined to regard me as younger than I was. We had a long and most interesting discussion about women in politics. A subject of which I knew absolutely nothing. But it was not necessary, on that account, that he

told her all about it she was so sweet. And when I gave her the twenty five-pound notes for which Mr Sanford had changed the cheque at Chichester, the way in which she thanked me did make me feel so strange. A

opose to allow him--almost a stranger--to accuse me of downright ignorance; as if I were an untutored savage. He might know something about everything; and anyone could see that he was awfully clever, while I might know nothing about anything,--which possibly was the case. Still, it was not civil for him to rema

d to thank me for one of the pleasantest days he had spent in his life. Considering that I had been me

y remembered Mr Sanford taking it off the table, and making some uninvited comments on the writing--he seemed fond of criticising other people. But I did not recall wh