The Argosy — page 399: what you’re looking at

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

ee ee ee ee = ~ =3 = — ee - - - - = 376 The House of Halliwell. proud and happy to give her, she observed, and turn over to her all the sewing and pudding-making. But they decided, themselves, upon establishing a ladies’ boarding-school. It appeared more congenial than anything else, and they both felt that they had the qualifications and will to do their fu// duty to the children who might be entrusted to their care: Hester in contributing to their comforts, and teaching them, as she phrased it, plain sewing and grammar and spelling ; Lucy in imparting her own high standard of education and accom- plishments. Where was it to be? They decided upon the neighbourhood of London, and departed for the great city ; but they had much trouble to settle themselves. Some of the suburbs they found over- stocked with schools, some were not deemed highly healthy, some had no suitable house that they could rent. They did settle them- selves at last, after spending a purse of money, as they said, over those whirling omnibuses. The precise locality need not be named, but it is a well-known one. They took a capital house, large and convenient, enclosed from the high road by a wall; with a pretty garden in front and a playground behind. ‘They paid eighty pounds a year for it, besides taxes ; a rent that frightened them. Quarter day never drew near, for many years, but it brought to them a heart- sickening. The next step was to furnish. The furniture from their old home was the worse for wear, and though it had filled a small house, it was lost in a large one. So they bought new for the drawing room and for the children’s bedroom that was to be, with desks and forms for the school-room, disposing the old about the house as they best could, and occasionally, as time went on, buying some almost indispensable article, as they thought they could spare the money. Of course they had sent out cards and advertised, and then they sat down in their new house, and waited for pupils. The first quarter they received some demands for circulars, but nothing came of it: the next they had three day-scholars, two sisters and another. Hester then took the resolution to call at the principal houses in the neigh- bourhood, and urge her hope of patronage. Whether they liked her appearance she did not know, but soon after that they had eleven day-scholars and five boarders; so they thought success was coming all at once, and had indistinct visions of retiring with a fortune. (Zo be continued.) Gomicbooks.com