Even Miss Martineau, ignorant and narrow-minded as she was, could
scarcely pronounce Primrose fit to do much in the educational world;
Jasmine's, of course, was only a little giddy pate, and she required a
vast amount of teaching herself; and pretty Daisy was still but a
young child.

Miss Martineau went to bed and to sleep; she dreamed troubled dreams,
but in the morning she awoke strengthened and restored, even by such
restless slumbers, and quite resolved to do something.

"Sophia Martineau," she said--for living quite alone she was fond of
holding conversations with herself--"Sophia Martineau, those girls are
placed, to put it figuratively, at your door, and take them up you
must. Gold you have none to bestow, but you can give interest; you
can, in short, rouse others to help the helpless. This is your bounden
duty, and you had better see to it at once."

Miss Martineau went briskly downstairs, ate her frugal breakfast, and
then made her plans. These plans were decisive enough. At Rosebury no
one thought of being so silly as to be over-educated. None of the
young brains of the rising generation were over-forced or
over-stimulated, and Miss Martineau felt no compunction whatever in
writing a short note to each of six little pupils, and telling them
that they need not come to her that morning, for she meant to give
them a holiday.

Having done this, and sent Susan out with the notes, she went
upstairs, and once more put on her black silk dress, her old-fashioned
mantle, and her high poke bonnet. Thus attired, she started on an
expedition which she trusted would lead to many happy results for the