The Argosy — page 205: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

How it Happened. 191 two new pupils were to be added to my class. These were Fenella and Frances Perrin, the daughters of a medical man who had died suddenly, and had left so little provision for his family that these, his eldest children, had come to Redchester with the intention of qualify- ing themselves to act as governesses. The last-mentioned girl was the elder of the two, but almost everyone instinctively put the names in the order I have used above; for Frances had an air of almost childish simplicity about her, which made her appear to be far younger than her sister. Fenella was also a whole head the taller of the pair, and carried herself with an indescribably coquettish confidence of manner. I thought that Frances was singularly unsuited to the profession she intended to adopt. A beautiful, refined, and sensitive face, a lovely voice, and a shy and timid manner are not the best qualifications with - which a young governess can face the world. And all these she possessed. A great many of the girls had not returned yet from their homes, whither they had gone to spend the Christmas holidays, on the morn- ing when I first made acquaintance with my new pupils. Nevertheless, the long room, in which the drawing and music lessons were given to the more advanced scholars, was tenanted by a small crowd of young people when I entered it. There was a large bow-window at each end, and a great fire-place nearly opposite the door. Round this some twenty or thirty girls were standing, sitting, and kneeling ; all busily engaged laughing, whispering, or listening. Frances and Fenella Perrin were little apart from the rest, looking as uncomfortable as they no doubt felt upon this their first day in a strange place. The former had her smail white hands clasped nervously together. She stood with her slender, graceful figure drawn up to its fullest height. Her beautiful, tender face was pale, and her wide-open blue eyes had in them a look of pathetic and wistful abstraction. Her sunny, light brown hair shone and glistened even on this dull day. She made a lovely picture. Fenella was leaning over the back of a tall chair, in a very ungrace- ful attitude. She was evidently in a great state of indignation at some- thing which had occurred. She sulked and pouted, and her brows were angrily contracted, while her eyes bore traces of recent tears. She sat next to me as I gave my lesson, and by degrees she brightened up into a good humour. She displayed decided talent, and improved every instant in personal appearance, as her face began more and more to glow with cheerful animation, until I was inclined to consider her almost as uncommon-looking and attractive as her sister, though in a very different way. Frances was busily drawing at the opposite side of the table, and her small, glossy head offered so striking a con- trast, and so pretty a point of view, that my eyes strayed thither again and again. Oo _ comlichooks.com