She had been in a convent school until recently.

But now her physicians advised that she be taken out and sent to some place in the country where she could lead an active out-door life for an entire year.

They recommended a climate similar to the one at Lone-Rock.
The Professor could make arrangements for her to board in Doctor Gray's family, quite near the Wares, and felt that she would be well taken care of there, physically, but he recognized the necessity of providing for her in other ways.

She had no resources of her own for entertainment, and he knew she would fret herself into a decline unless some means were provided to interest and amuse her.

He had been wonderfully impressed with Mary's ability to make the best of every situation, and after he had once been awakened to the fact that she was an unusual specimen of humanity, had studied her carefully.