Her qualifications consisted in her piety and
conscientiousness, good temper and excellent needlework, together
with her having been a scholar in one of Mrs. Hannah More's schools
in the Cheddar district. She could read and teach reading well; but
as for the dangerous accomplishments of writing and arithmetic, such
as desired to pass beyond the rudiments of them must go to
Wattlesea.
So nice did she look in her black that Earlscombe voted her a mere
town lady, and even at a penny a week hesitated to send its children
to her. Indeed it was currently reported that her school was part
of a deep and nefarious scheme of the gentlefolks for reducing the
poor-rates by enticing the children, and then shipping them off to
foreign parts from Bristol.
But the great crisis was one unlucky summer evening when Emily and I
were out with the donkey, and Griffith, just come home from Oxford,
was airing the new acquisition of a handsome black retriever.
Close by the old chapel, a black cat was leisurely crossing the
road. At her dashed Nero, stimulated perhaps by an almost
involuntary scss--scss--from his master, if not from Amos and me.
The cat flew up a low wall, and stood at bay on the top on tiptoe,
with bristling tail, arched back, and fiery eyes, while the dog
danced round in agony on his hind legs, barking furiously, and
almost reaching her.
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