Caroline was trifling away her time in the garden with a little favorite spaniel, her constant companion, when she was sent for to her music-master. But the servant called her no less than three times, before she thought proper to go into the house. When the lesson was finished, and the master gone, she turned to her mother, and asked her, in a fretful and impatient tone of voice, how much longer she was to be plagued with teachers—for she had had them a very long time, and she really thought she now knew quite enough of every thing.
“That you have had them a very long while,” answered her mother, “I perfectly agree with you; but that you have profited so much by their instruction, as you seem to imagine, I am not so certain. I must, however, acquaint you, my dear Caroline, that you will not be plagued with them much longer. Your father says he has expended such large sums upon your education that he is quite vexed with himself for having[90] done so, because he finds it impossible to be at an equal expense for your two little sisters. I should therefore advise you, whilst he is so good as to allow you to continue your lessons, to make the most of your time, that it may not be said you have been learning so long to no purpose.”
Caroline appeared quite astonished at her mother’s manner of speaking. The vain girl assured her that she knew every thing perfectly. She said, that if her father wished to save the expense of masters for her sisters, she would undertake to make them quite as accomplished as she herself was.
Some time after this conversation, she accompanied her mamma on a visit to a particular friend, who resided in the country. As there were several gentlemen and ladies at the same time in the house, Caroline was extremely happy in the opportunity she thought it would give her of surprising so large a party by her music and other accomplishments. It was not very long before she gave them so many samples of her vanity and self-conceit, as rendered her quite ridiculous in their eyes.
She was never in the least ashamed to contradict those who were older and better instructed than herself. She would sit down to the harp, with the utmost unconcern, and attempt to play a sonata which she had[91] never seen before, though at the same time she could not get through a little simple air, without blundering half a dozen times.
There lived, at about the distance of a mile from Mrs. Melvin’s house, a widow lady, with her daughter, a charming little girl, thirteen years of age. So very limited was the fortune of this lady, that she had never had it in her power to be at the smallest expense on account of her daughter’s education. Indeed, her income was so narrow, that, without the strictest economy in every respect, she could not have made it suffice to procure them the necessaries of life. So she was obliged to content herself with the little instruction she could give to her child. She encouraged her, as much as possible, to exert herself, and to endeavor to supply, by attention and perseverance, the want of a more able instructor.
When Caroline heard this talked of, she concluded immediately that Laura must be a poor little ignorant thing, whom she would astonish by a display of her accomplishments. The vain young lady enjoyed in idea the wonder she would show, when she beheld her beautiful drawings, heard her touch the keys of the piano, and speak French and Italian as well as her own language. This she wished to persuade herself was the case, though she knew no more of either of these[92] languages than she did of all the other things of which she was so vain and conceited.
She told Mrs. Melvin that s............