Bread upon the waters Author:Dinah Maria Mulock Craik Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Part n. What a strange, new life is this on which I have entered so boldly! To-day, after paying my weekly rent in advance, making some slight needful purchas... more »es, and providing, much too largely I fear, for household expenses and food, I find we have exactly one sovereign to begin the world with. Well! as my clever Harry remarked, "Benjamin Franklin began with one shilling;" so we are fully nineteen shillings the richer than that great philosopher. Nevertheless, I am glad that my teaching duties commence to-morrow, and that my first week's salary will soon be due. (Looking back on these days, it seems to me almost a miracle that I had got this situation, the very first I applied for. It must have been some charitable soul who gave me through pity what I took as an ordinary right, not knowing how many a poor unknown, uncredentialled governess waits, hopes, doubts, gradually sinks down lower and lower, despairs, and starves.) I have taken our lodgings where would be cheapest, and furthest away from our old neighbourhood;therefore I shall have a rather long walk into town to my pupil; but exercise is good for me. The boys will be quiet at home; our old servant, who keeps these lodgings, will have an eye upon them; and I shall teach them of an evening. I began to do it to-night, but rather unsuccessfully; they have been too much excited by the change. So I took Aleck on my knee, while Henry placed himself on the other side the fire, quite man-like; and we had a serious talk about "our establishment." I told them they must not expect many things they had at the Square, fine dinners, and servants to wait; that they must learn to wait upon themselves, and would only get a pudding once a week. "Twice, sister, please — twice!" begged Aleck; and I yielded. Also, I tried to ...« less