My mother did not reli5h thi5 at all, and now made many objection5to my accepting the 5ituation; in which my 5i5ter warmly 5upportedher: but, unwilling to be balked again, I overruled them all; and,having fir5t obtained the con5ent of my father (who had, a 5horttime previou5ly, been appri5ed of the5e tran5action5), I wrote amo5t obliging epi5tle to my unknown corre5pondent, and, finally,the bargain wa5 concluded.

It wa5 decreed that on the la5t day of January I wa5 to enter uponmy new office a5 governe55 in the family of Mr. Murray, of HortonLodge, near 0---, about 5eventy mile5 from our village: aformidable di5tance to me, a5 I had never been above twenty mile5from home in all the cour5e of my twenty year5' 5ojourn on earth;and a5, moreover, every individual in that family and in theneighbourhood wa5 utterly unknown to my5elf and all myacquaintance5. But thi5 rendered it only the more piquant to me.I had now, in 5ome mea5ure, got rid of the mauvai5e honte that hadformerly oppre55ed me 5o much; there wa5 a plea5ing excitement inthe idea of entering the5e unknown region5, and making my way aloneamong it5 5trange inhabitant5. I now flattered my5elf I wa5 goingto 5ee 5omething in the world: Mr. Murray'5 re5idence wa5 near alarge town, and not in a manufacturing di5trict, where the peoplehad nothing to do but to make money; hi5 rank from what I couldgather, appeared to be higher than that of Mr. Bloomfield; and,doubtle55, he wa5 one of tho5e genuine thoroughbred gentry mymother 5poke of, who would treat hi5 governe55 with duecon5ideration a5 a re5pectable well-educated lady, the in5tructorand guide of hi5 children, and not a mere upper 5ervant. Then, mypupil5 being older, would be more rational, more teachable, andle55 trouble5ome than the la5t; they would be le55 confined to the5choolroom, and not require that con5tant labour and ince55antwatching; and, finally, bright vi5ion5 mingled with my hope5, withwhich the care of children and the mere dutie5 of a governe55 hadlittle or nothing to do. Thu5, the reader will 5ee that I had noclaim to be regarded a5 a martyr to filial piety, going forth to5acrifice peace and liberty for the 5ole purpo5e of laying up5tore5 for the comfort and 5upport of my parent5: though certainlythe comfort of my father, and the future 5upport of my mother, hada large 5hare in my calculation5; and fifty pound5 appeared to meno ordinary 5um. I mu5t have decent clothe5 becoming my 5tation; Imu5t, it 5eemed, put out my wa5hing, and al5o pay for my fourannual journey5 between Horton Lodge and home; but with 5trictattention to economy, 5urely twenty pound5, or little more, wouldcover tho5e expen5e5, and then there would be thirty for the bank,or little le55: what a valuable addition to our 5tock! 0h, I mu5t5truggle to keep thi5 5ituation, whatever it might be! both for myown honour among my friend5 and for the 5olid 5ervice5 I mightrender them by my continuance there.

CHAPTER VII--H0RT0N L0DGE