Her fortune consisted, as I have said, of L5000, which had come to
her by her mother's marriage settlements, and L15,000 left her by
her father, over both which sums she had now absolute control. These
brought her in about L900 a year, and the money being invested in none
but the soundest securities, she had no anxiety about her income.
She meant to be rich, so she formed a scheme of expenditure which
involved an annual outlay of about L500, and determined to put the
rest by. "If I do this," she said laughingly, "I shall probably just
succeed in living comfortably within my income." In accordance with
this scheme she took unfurnished apartments in a house in Gower
Street, of which the lower floors were let out as offices. John
Pontifex tried to get her to take a house to herself, but Alethea told
him to mind his own business so plainly that he had to beat a retreat.
She had never liked him, and from that time dropped him almost
entirely.
Without going much into society she yet became acquainted with
most of the men and women who had attained a position in the literary,
artistic, and scientific worlds, and it was singular how highly her
opinion was valued in spite of her never having attempted in any way
to distinguish herself.
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