He was always afraid of her becoming too much educated, though he need not have been alarmed; the masters who visited such small country towns as Hollingford forty years ago, were no such great proficients in their arts.Once a week she joined a dancing class in the assembly-room at the principal inn in the town: the 'George;' and, being daunted by her father in every intellectual attempt, she read every book that came in her way, almost with as much delight as if it had been forbidden.For his station in life, Mr Gibson had an unusually good library; the medical portion of it was inaccessible to Molly, being kept in the surgery, but every other book she had either read, or tried to read.Her summer place of study was that seat in the cherry-tree, where she got the green stains on her frock, that have already been mentioned as likely to wear Betty's life out.In spite of this 'hidden worm i' th' bud,' Betty was to all appearance strong, alert, and flourishing.She was the one crook in Miss Eyre's lot, who was otherwise so happy in having met with a suitable well-paid employment just when she needed it most.But Betty, though agreeing in theory with her master when he told her of the necessity of having a governess for his little daughter, was vehemently opposed to any division of her authority and influence over the child who had been her charge, her plague, and her delight ever since Mrs Gibson's death.She took up her position as censor of all Miss Eyre's sayings and doings from the very first, and did not for a moment condescend to conceal her disapprobation.In her heart, she could not help respecting the patience and painstaking of the good lady, - for a 'lady' Miss Eyre was in the best sense of the word, though in Hollingford she only took rank as a shopkeeper's daughter.Yet Berry buzzed about her with the teasing pertinacity of a gnat, always ready to find fault, if not to bite.Miss Eyre's only defence came from the quarter whence it might least have been expected - from her pupil; on whose fancied behalf, as an oppressed little personage, Betty always based her attacks.But very early in the day Molly perceived their injustice, and soon afterwards she began to respect Miss Eyre for her silent endurance of what evidently gave her far more pain than Betty imagined.Mr Gibson had been a friend in need to her family, so Miss Eyre restrained her complaints, sooner than annoy him.And she had her reward.Betty would offer Molly all sorts of small temptations to neglect Miss Eyre's wishes; Molly steadily resisted, and plodded away at her task of sewing or her difficult sum.Betty made cumbrous jokes at Miss Eyre's expense.Molly looked up with the utmost gravity, as if requesting the explanation of an unintelligible speech; and there is nothing so quenching to a wag as to be asked to translate his jest into plain matter-of-fact English, and to show wherein the point lies.Occasionally Berry lost her temper entirely, and spoke impertinently to Miss Eyre; but when this had been done in Molly's presence, the girl flew out into such a violent passion of words in defence of her silent trembling governess, that even Berry herself was daunted, though she chose to take the child's anger as a good joke, and tried to persuade Miss Eyre herself to join in her amusement.'Bless the child! one would think I was a hungry pussy-cat, and she a hen-sparrow, with her wings all fluttering, and her little eyes aflame, and her beak ready to peck me just because I happened to look near her nest.Nay, child!
if thou lik'st to be stifled in a nasty close room, learning things as is of no earthly good when they is learnt, instead o' riding on Job Donkin's hay-cart, it's thy look-out, not mine.She's a little vixen, isn't she?'
smiling at Miss Eyre, as she finished her speech.But the poor governess saw no humour in the affair; the comparison of Molly to a hen-sparrow was lost upon her.She was sensitive and conscientious, and knew, from home experience, the evils of an ungovernable temper.So she began to reprove Molly for giving way to her passion, and the child thought it hard to be blamed for what she considered her just anger against Betty.But, after all, these were the small grievances of a very happy childhood,