Childlike and immature in appearance, she was in character exceedingly precocious.

Her intelligence was keen and practical.

In very early years it had been instilled into her that her future welfare would depend upon her own exertions, and she never forgot the lesson.

Her uncle was very generous to her; but he was not the man to have saved money for his own offspring, if he had had any, and far less for his niece; he spent every shilling of his income.

Little Jane would secretly have preferred to receive in hard cash the sums which he lavished upon her in indulgences; she would have dispensed with her pony, and kept a steed in the stable for herself of another sort.