But telling you's not telling, you know, because she's sure to tell you herself; only you'd better wait till she does before you say anything, for fear she should be vexed." Of course I promised to do so, and craned my neck out of bed to catch Matilda's interesting but whispered revelations.
Matilda herself was only partially in Miss Perry's confidence, and I looked anxiously forward to the time when she would admit me also to her secrets, though I feared she might consider me too young.

My fears were groundless, as I found Miss Perry was fond of talking about herself, and a suitable audience was quite a secondary consideration with her.
She was a _protegee_ of Mrs.Minchin's, who had persuaded Aunt Theresa to take her for our governess.

She was quite unfit for the position, and did no little harm to us in her brief reign.

But I do not think that our interests had entered in the least into Mrs.Minchin's calculations in the matter.

She had "taken Miss Perry up," and to get Miss Perry a comfortable home was her sole object.
To do our new governess justice, she did her best to impart her own superficial acquirements to us.