It was speech that was the only stumbling-block. Little daintinesses of living came to her naturally, with only a hint, just as daintiness of person had come.  Her eye for colour was sure, and she had a natural instinct for arranging flowers and for brightening a room that developed daily under Aileen’s gentle tuition.  Beginning with perfect cleanliness as the basis of perfection, it was easy to work up and up, learning a little more each day—and ’Possum never had to be told a thing twice. But her unchecked speech was a harder matter, and often the cheeks of both girls burned, until the idea came to Aileen to make a joke of it, when they got on much better.  Tom, privately consulted, suggested making ’Possum read aloud, for which she proved to have a natural aptitude, and the exercise taught her more than many lessons.