I soon found that the constant demand on my stock of animal spirits reduced them to the lowest state of exhaustion; at times I felt--and, I suppose, seemed--depressed.

To my astonishment, I was taken to task on the subject by Mrs.--- with a sternness of manner and a harshness of language scarcely credible; like a fool, I cried most bitterly.

I could not help it; my spirits quite failed me at first.

I thought I had done my best--strained every nerve to please her; and to be treated in that way, merely because I was shy and sometimes melancholy, was too bad.

At first I was for giving all up and going home.