Page:Memoir and correspondence of Caroline Herschel (1876).djvu/44

 opened to the Public, and the Court orchestra was called upon to play there, they did it without any emolument, so that there was no way left to increase their small salaries but by giving a few subscription concerts in the winter, or by teaching. So much, by way of apology, for the emigration of part of my family to England.]

"We passed the winter in the utmost quiet, except when Alexander took it into his head to entertain gentlemen in his own apartment, which always made my mother very cross, else in general nothing disturbed us in our occupation. My mother spun, I was at work on a set of ruffles of Dresden-work for my brother Jacob, whilst Alexander often sat by us and amused us and himself with making all sorts of things in pasteboard, or contriving how to make a twelve-hour Cuckoo clock go a week. . . . As my mother saw that Dietrich's confirmation was still uncertain, she insisted on having him back again. . . . Accordingly at the end of July they [Jacob and Dietrich] arrived, and Dietrich entered school again immediately," but remained only until his confirmation the following Easter.

A new direction was suddenly given to all their plans by the arrival of letters from the absent brother William, who proposed that his sister should join him at Bath—

. . . "to make the trial if by his instruction I might not become a useful singer for his winter concerts and oratorios, he advised my brother Jacob to give me some lessons by way of beginning; but that if after a trial of two years we should not find it answer our expectation he would bring me back again. This at first seemed to be agreeable to all