Part 5 (1/2)
One day, about the ti, I was thirteen; I took a letter out of the pocket of what I thought was my skirt and read it; it was froh I do not remember it all, one sentence was burnt into ot should be teaching a Sunday class?”
I wondered why any one should think it extraordinary! I went upstairs and cried in a senerally disappeared when life seeht need have disturbed no one, for I regret to relate that, after a striking lesson on the birth of Christ, when I askedsaid:
”Queen Victoria!”
The idea had evidently gone abroad that I was a frivolous character; this hurt and surprised htiness and frivolity are different, and I was always deeply in earnest
Laura was oodness resolved itself into greater activity
She and I belonged to a reading-class I read reater speed, but ere all readers and profited by a climate which kept us indoors and a fine library The class obliged us to read an hour a day, which could not be called excessive, but the real test was doing the sa at the sa on wet days and none on fine, But not so our Edinburgh tutor
Laura started the Girls' Friendly Society in the village, which was at that time famous for its drunkenness and ih theeled dog-cart behind a fast trotter, co icy roads These drives to Innerleithen and ours--after reading aloud to the girls while they sewed and knitted--Laura would address theious, and they all adored her More reirls were her Sunday classes at Glen, in the housekeeper's rooe--Laura was only sixteen--who could talk on religious subjects with profit to the butler, housekeeper and rown-up people, on a Sunday afternoon
Cothis war, Laura's literary proreat; both her prose and her poetry were less reood a judge of character as I was and took oose for a swan, but, in consequence of this, she ood, clever and delightful as they would otherwise have been
I have never succeeded inany one the least different from what they are and, in my efforts to do so, have lost every female friend that I have ever had (with the exception of four) This was the true difference between us I have never influenced anybody but my oo children, Elizabeth and Anthony, but Laura had such an a effect upon men and women that for years after she died they told ed andWhen I die, people may turn up and try to make the world believe that I have influenced them and women may come forhom I adored and who have quarrelled with me and pretend that they always loved me, but I wish to put it on record that they did not, or, if they did, their love is not my kind of love and I have no use for it
The fact is that I aet that others may be and I tell people the truth about themselves, while Laurafrom any one the naked truth about myself; and on the few occasions when it has happened to me, I have not been in the least offended My chief corows older, to say what they really think; nevertheless I have often wished that I had been born with Laura's skill and tact in dealing with men and women In her short life she influenced more people than I have done in over twice as h to s! And I have never succeeded in persuading any young persons under e--exceptor sorry, nor at this time of life do I expect to do so
There was another difference between Laura and me: she felt sad when she refused the men who proposed to her; I pitied no man who loved ood chance of getting over it, as they invariably declared themselves too soon We were neither of us au fond very susceptible It was the custom of the house that ave quite as h [Footnote: The Hon Rowland Leigh, of Stoneleigh Abbey]--a friend of entleo for a ith him:
”Certainly, if you won't ask me to ht of it!”
”That's all right!” said I, putting h his
He toldit for days as to how he should propose
Sir David Tennant, a former Speaker at Cape Town and the most distant of cousins, caman took me into one of the conservatories and asked ht, and that ”he was running hares” He took it extremely well and, much elated, I returned to the house to tell Laura I found her in tears; she told me Sir David Tennant had asked her to ed to refuse I cheered her up by pointing out that it would have been aard had we both accepted, for, while re my sister, she would have become my mother-in-law and my husband's stepmother
We were not popular in Peeblesshi+re, partly because we had no county connection, but chiefly because ere Liberals My father had turned out the sitting Tory, Sir Grahaomery, of Stobo, and was member for the two counties Peeblesshi+re and Selkirkshi+re
As Sir Graham had represented the counties for thirty years, this was resented by the Montgomery family, who proceeded to cut us
Laura was much worried over this, but I was amused I said the love of the Maxwell Stuarts, Maxwell Scotts, Wolfe Murrays and Sir Thoh for oer; as a matter of fact, neither Sir Grahaomery at Traquair House many years after my papa's election, where ere entertained by Herbert Maxwell--the owner of one of the most romantic houses in Scotland, and ourwho he was, I was indignant when he told ht Peeblesshi+re was dull; I said where we lived it was far from dull and asked him if he knew many people in the county To which he answered:
”Chiefly the Stobo lot”
At this I showed him the most lively sympathy and invited him to come to Glen In consequence of this visit he told me years afterwards his fortune had been made My father took a fancy to hie
Laura and I shared the night nursery together till she married; and, in spite of mixed proposals, ere devoted friends We read late in bed, so, and said our prayers out loud to each other every night We were discussing i Hawthorne, De Quincey, Poe and others, in consequence of a dispute arising out of one of our pencil-gaued till the house