I determined to be a father to Betty , and do all for her that the most devoted parent could do . It was , self-evidently , my duty . I told Sara I was going to take Betty in hand . Sara sighed one of the plaintive little sighs which I had once thought so charming , but now , to my surprise , found faintly irritating , and said that she would be very much obliged if I would . `` I feel that I am not able to cope with the problem of Betty 's education , Stephen , '' she admitted , `` Betty is a strange child ... all Churchill . Her poor father indulged her in everything , and she has a will of her own , I assure you . I have really no control over her , whatever . She does as she pleases , and is ruining her complexion by running and galloping out of doors the whole time . Not that she had much complexion to start with . The Churchills never had , you know . '' ... Sara cast a complacent glance at her delicately tinted reflection in the mirror ... `` I tried to make Betty wear a sunbonnet this summer , but I might as well have talked to the wind . '' A vision of Betty in a sunbonnet presented itself to my mind , and afforded me so much amusement that I was grateful to Sara for having furnished it . I rewarded her with a compliment . `` It is to be regretted that Betty has not inherited her mother 's charming color , '' I said , `` but we must do the best we can for her under her limitations . She may have improved vastly by the time she has grown up . And , at least , we must make a lady of her ; she is a most alarming tomboy at present , but there is good material to work upon ... there must be , in the Churchill and Currie blend . But even the best material may be spoiled by unwise handling . I think I can promise you that I will not spoil it . I feel that Betty is my vocation ; and I shall set myself up as a rival of Wordsworth 's ` nature , ' of whose methods I have always had a decided distrust , in spite of his insidious verses . '' Sara did not understand me in the least ; but , then , she did not pretend to .
`` I confide XXXXX 's education entirely to you , Stephen , '' she said , with another plaintive sigh .
Betty Churchill Churchills Currie Sara Stephen Wordsworth color duty tomboy