She and her husband gave to both the best advantages for education that
money could procure, aroused in them the desire, and stimulated them to
earnest efforts to become useful members of society.
Elsie soon discovered that one grand element of Molly's depression was the
thought that she was cut off from all the activities of life and doomed,
by her sad affliction, to be a useless burden upon others.
"My poor dear child!" she said clasping the weeping girl in her arms,
"that would be a sad fate indeed, but it need not be yours; there are many
walks of usefulness still open to you; literature, several of the arts and
sciences, music, painting, authorship; to say nothing of needle work both
plain and fancy. The first thing will be a good education in the ordinary
acceptation of the term--and that you can take as easily as one who has
use of all her limbs. Books and masters shall be at your command, and when
you have decided to what employment you will especially devote yourself,
every facility shall be given you for perfecting yourself in it."
"O Cousin Elsie," cried the girl, her eyes shining, "do you think I could
ever write books, or paint pictures? I mean such as would be really worth
the doing; such as would make Dick proud of me and perhaps give me money
to help him with; because you know the poor fellow must make his own way
in the world.
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