Agnes Grey

Agnes Grey was the younger of two daughters of a poor clergyman in the north of England.Her father had only a small church and a small income.Her mother came from a rich family, but she had given up her fortune to marry the man she loved.

The Greys had little money, and yet their home was a happy one.Because Agnes was the youngest, everyone treated her as a child and let her do very little.She longed to be thought grown-up and useful.

One year, her father tried to make the family richer.He gave all his savings to a merchant friend, who promised to trade with the money and share the profit.But the ship carrying the goods was lost at sea, and every penny went with it.

Agnes's father blamed himself, and the worry made him ill.Now the family had to live on very little indeed.Mary, the elder sister, sold her drawings to earn a little money.

Agnes wanted to help too, so she made a bold decision: she would become a governess.She would go to live with a rich family and teach their young children for pay.Her mother and Mary said she was too young and knew too little of the world.

But Agnes promised she could learn, and at last they agreed to let her try.Secretly she was full of hope, glad to be earning her own bread and eager to see life beyond her quiet home.