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Data-Driven Model-Free
Controllers
Data-Driven Model-Free
Controllers

Radu-Emil Precup, Raul-Cristian Roman, and

Ali Safaei
MATLAB® is a trademark of The MathWorks, Inc. and is used with permission. The MathWorks
does not warrant the accuracy of the text or exercises in this book. This book’s use or discussion
of MATLAB® software or related products does not constitute endorsement or sponsorship by
The MathWorks of a particular pedagogical approach or particular use of the MATLAB® software.

First edition published 2022

by CRC Press
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742

and by CRC Press

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN

CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

© 2022 Radu‐Emil Precup, Raul-Cristian Roman, Ali Safaei

Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and
publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of
their use. The authors and publishers have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material
reproduced in this publication and apologize to copyright holders if permission to publish in this
form has not been obtained. If any copyright material has not been acknowledged please write and
let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint.

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Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are
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Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data

Names: Precup, Radu-Emil, 1963- author. | Roman, Raul-Cristian, author. | Safaei, Ali, author.
Title: Data-driven model-free controllers / Radu-Emil Precup, Raul-Cristian Roman, Ali Safaei.
Description: First edition. | Boca Raton, FL : CRC Press, 2022. | Includes bibliographical references
and index. | Summary: “This book categorizes the wide area of data-driven model-free controllers,
reveals the exact benefits of such controllers, gives the in-depth theory and mathematical
proofs behind them, and finally discusses their applications”– Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021042242 (print) | LCCN 2021042243 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367697303 (hbk) | ISBN 9780367698287 (pbk) | ISBN 9781003143444 (ebk)
Subjects: LCSH: Programmable controllers. | Automatic control.
Classification: LCC TJ223.P76 P68 2022 (print) | LCC TJ223.P76 (ebook) |
DDC 629.8/95–dc23/eng/20211027
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021042242
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021042243

ISBN: 978-0-367-69730-3 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-0-367-69828-7 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-14344-4 (ebk)

DOI: 10.1201/9781003143444

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Contents
Authors ......................................................................................................................xi

Chapter 1 Introduction ..........................................................................................1

1.1 The Motivation of Data-Driven Model-Free Control ................ 1
1.2 A Concise Overview of the Main Data-Driven
MFC Techniques .......................................................................3
1.3 Dynamic Systems Used in Implementations .............................9
1.3.1 Tower Crane System .....................................................9
1.3.2 Nonholonomic Autonomous Ground Rover ............... 14
1.3.3 Underactuated Autonomous Quadrotor ..................... 16
1.4 Concluding Remarks ............................................................... 18
References .......................................................................................... 22

Chapter 2 Iterative Feedback Tuning .................................................................. 31

2.1 Background.............................................................................. 31
2.2 Theory and Algorithm in the SISO Case ................................ 35
2.3 Theory and Algorithm in the MIMO Case ............................. 43
2.4 Example and Application ........................................................ 50
2.4.1 SISO Control Systems ................................................ 50
2.4.2 MIMO Control System...............................................64
References .......................................................................................... 78

Chapter 3 Intelligent PID Controllers ................................................................. 81

3.1 Introduction ............................................................................. 81
3.2 Theory of Intelligent PID Controllers for
Continuous-Time Dynamic Systems ....................................... 81
3.2.1 Structure of iPID Controllers for
Continuous-Time Dynamic Systems .......................... 81
3.2.2 Iterated Time Integrals for Online Parameter
Estimations .................................................................84
3.2.3 Adaptive Observers for Online Parameter
Estimations ................................................................. 86
3.2.4 Adaptive Model-Based Parameter Estimators ...........90
3.3 Theory of Intelligent PID Controllers for Discrete-Time
Dynamic Systems ....................................................................92
3.3.1 First-Order Discrete-Time iP/iPi/iPID Controllers ....92
3.3.1.1 The First-Order Discrete-Time iP
Controller ....................................................94

v
vi Contents

3.3.1.2 The First-Order Discrete-Time iPI

Controller .................................................... 95
3.3.1.3 The First-Order Discrete-Time iPID
Controller ....................................................96
3.3.2 Second-Order Discrete-Time iP/iPi/iPID
Controllers ..................................................................97
3.3.2.1 The Second-Order Discrete-Time iP
Controller ....................................................99
3.3.2.2 The Second-Order Discrete-Time iPI
Controller .................................................. 100
3.3.2.3 The Second-Order Discrete-Time iPID
Controller .................................................. 101
3.4 Example and Application ...................................................... 102
3.4.1 SISO Control Systems .............................................. 102
3.4.1.1 The First-Order Discrete-Time iP
Controllers ................................................ 104
3.4.1.2 The First-Order Discrete-Time iPI
Controllers ................................................ 106
3.4.1.3 The First-Order Discrete-Time iPID
Controllers ................................................ 109
3.4.1.4 The Second-Order Discrete-Time iP
Controllers ................................................ 111
3.4.1.5 The Second-Order Discrete-Time iPI
Controllers ................................................ 114
3.4.1.6 The Second-Order Discrete-Time iPID
Controllers ................................................ 114
3.4.2 MIMO Control Systems ........................................... 119
3.4.2.1 The First-Order Discrete-Time iP
Controllers ................................................ 119
3.4.2.2 The First-Order Discrete-Time iPI
Controllers ................................................ 122
3.4.2.3 The First-Order Discrete-Time iPID
Controllers ................................................ 122
3.4.2.4 The Second-Order Discrete-Time iP
Controllers ................................................ 126
3.4.2.5 The Second-Order Discrete-Time iPI
Controllers ................................................ 129
3.4.2.6 The Second-Order Discrete-Time iPID
Controllers ................................................ 129
3.4.2.7 Simulation and Experimental Results
for the iPID Controller with the
Adaptive Model-Based Parameter
Estimator................................................... 132
References ........................................................................................ 136
Contents vii

Chapter 4 Model-Free Sliding Mode Controllers ............................................. 137

4.1 Introduction ........................................................................... 137
4.2 Theory ................................................................................... 138
4.2.1 The Hybrid Model-Free Sliding Mode Controllers .....138
4.2.2 The First Hybrid Model-Free Sliding
Mode Controller ....................................................... 140
4.2.3 The Second Hybrid Model-Free Sliding
Mode Controller ....................................................... 144
4.3 Example and Application ...................................................... 147
4.3.1 SISO Control Systems .............................................. 147
4.3.1.1 The First Hybrid Model-Free Sliding
Mode Controller........................................ 149
4.3.1.2 The Second Hybrid Model-Free
Sliding Mode Controller ........................... 150
4.3.2 MIMO Control Systems ........................................... 155
4.3.2.1 The First Hybrid Model-Free Sliding
Mode Controller........................................ 157
4.3.2.2 The Second Hybrid Model-Free
Sliding Mode Controller ........................... 158
References ........................................................................................ 165

Chapter 5 Model-Free Adaptive Controllers..................................................... 167

5.1 Introduction ........................................................................... 167
5.2 Theory ................................................................................... 168
5.2.1 The MFAC Algorithm for Discrete-Time
Dynamic Systems ..................................................... 168
5.2.1.1 The MFAC-CFDL Algorithms ................. 168
5.2.1.2 The MFAC-PFDL Algorithms.................. 171
5.2.2 The Generic Structure of Single-Integrator
and Double-Integrator Completely Unknown
Nonlinear Dynamic Systems.................................... 173
5.2.3 Model-Free Adaptive Controller Algorithm
for Continuous-Time Dynamic Systems .................. 175
5.3 Example and Application ...................................................... 182
5.3.1 SISO Control Systems .............................................. 182
5.3.1.1 The MFAC-CFDL Algorithms ................. 183
5.3.1.2 The MFAC-PFDL Algorithms.................. 184
5.3.2 MIMO Control Systems ........................................... 189
5.3.2.1 The MFAC-CFDL Algorithms Using
Three SISO Loops Running in Parallel.... 192
5.3.2.2 The MFAC-CFDL Algorithms Using
a Single Loop ............................................ 193
5.3.2.3 The MFAC-PFDL Algorithms Using
Three SISO Loops Running in Parallel.... 199
viii Contents

5.3.2.4 Simulation and Experimental Results

for the Continuous-Time MFAC
Algorithm.................................................. 201
References ........................................................................................208

Chapter 6 Hybrid Model-Free and Model-Free Adaptive Virtual

Reference Feedback Tuning Controllers .......................................... 211
6.1 Introduction ........................................................................... 211
6.2 Theory ................................................................................... 212
6.2.1 The VRFT Technique .............................................. 212
6.2.2 The First-Order Discrete-Time Model-Free
Control-VRFT Controllers ....................................... 214
6.2.3 The Second-Order Discrete-Time Model-Free
Control-VRFT Controllers ....................................... 218
6.2.4 The MFAC-VRFT Algorithms ................................. 223
6.3 Example and Application ...................................................... 228
6.3.1 SISO Control Systems .............................................. 228
6.3.1.1 The Discrete-Time First-Order
MFC-VRFT Controller with
P Component............................................. 230
6.3.1.2 The Discrete-Time Second-Order
MFC-VRFT Controller with
P Component............................................. 231
6.3.1.3 The MFAC-VRFT Algorithms in
Compact-Form Dynamic Linearization
Version ...................................................... 236
6.3.2 MIMO Control Systems ...........................................240
6.3.2.1 The Discrete-Time First-Order
MFC-VRFT Controller with
P Component.............................................244
6.3.2.2 The Discrete-Time Second-Order
MFC-VRFT Controller with
P Component.............................................248
6.3.2.3 The MFAC-VRFT Algorithms
in Compact-Form Dynamic
Linearization Version ............................... 252
References ........................................................................................ 256

Chapter 7 Hybrid Model-Free and Model-Free Adaptive Fuzzy Controllers ... 259
7.1 A Short Overview of Fuzzy Logic and Control .................... 259
7.1.1 Fuzzy Sets, Set-Theoretic Operators,
Fuzzy Relations ........................................................ 262
7.1.2 Information Processing in Fuzzy Controllers .......... 269
7.1.2.1 The Fuzzification Module......................... 269
Contents ix

7.1.2.2 The Inference Module .............................. 273

7.1.2.3 The Defuzzification Module ..................... 281
7.1.3 Fuzzy Controllers and Design Approaches .............. 285
7.1.3.1 Fuzzy Controllers without Dynamics ....... 286
7.1.3.2 Fuzzy Controllers with Dynamics ............ 291
7.2 Hybrid Model-Free Fuzzy Controllers .................................. 303
7.2.1 First-Order Discrete-Time iPI Controllers
with Takagi-Sugeno-Kang PD Fuzzy Terms............ 303
7.2.2 Second-Order Discrete-Time iPI Controllers
with Takagi-Sugeno-Kang PD Fuzzy Terms............306
7.3 Hybrid Model-Free Adaptive Fuzzy Controllers...................307
7.4 Example and Application ......................................................309
7.4.1 SISO Control Systems ..............................................309
7.4.1.1 The First-Order Discrete-Time iPI
Controllers with Takagi-Sugeno-Kang
PD Fuzzy Terms ....................................... 310
7.4.1.2 The Second-Order Discrete-Time iPI
Controllers with Takagi-Sugeno-Kang
PD Fuzzy Terms ....................................... 315
7.4.1.3 The Hybrid Model-Free Adaptive
Fuzzy Controllers ..................................... 319
7.4.2 MIMO Control Systems ........................................... 319
7.4.2.1 The First-Order Discrete-Time iPI
Controllers with Takagi-Sugeno-Kang
PD Fuzzy Terms ....................................... 323
7.4.2.2 The Second-Order Discrete-Time iPI
Controllers with Takagi-Sugeno-Kang
PD Fuzzy Terms ....................................... 327
7.4.2.3 The Hybrid Model-Free Adaptive
Fuzzy Controllers ..................................... 331
References ........................................................................................ 335

Chapter 8 Cooperative Model-Free Adaptive Controllers for

Multiagent Systems .......................................................................... 343
8.1 Introduction ........................................................................... 343
8.2 Theory ................................................................................... 343
8.2.1 The Generic Structure of a Nonlinear
Multiagent Dynamic System .................................... 343
8.2.2 Cooperative Model-Free Adaptive Controller
Without Relative State Measurements .....................346
8.2.3 Cooperative Model-Free Adaptive Controller
with Relative State Measurements ........................... 349
8.2.4 Operating Principles of the Cooperative
Model-Free Adaptive Controllers............................. 358
8.3 Simulation Results ................................................................. 358
x Contents

8.3.1 Simulation of CAMFC-1 Algorithm ........................ 358

8.3.2 Simulation of CAMFC-2 Algorithm ........................ 363
References ........................................................................................ 377

Appendix: Simulation Results for Implementation of Model-Free

Adaptive Controller on a Differential-Drive Ground
Mobile Robot ..................................................................................... 379
Index ...................................................................................................................... 387
Authors
Radu-Emil Precup received a Dipl.Ing. (Hons.) degree in automation and computers
from the “Traian Vuia” Polytechnic Institute of Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania, in
1987, a Diploma in mathematics from the West University of Timisoara, Timisoara,
in 1993, and a Ph.D. degree in automatic systems from the “Politehnica” University of
Timisoara, Timisoara, in 1996. He was a Professor in the Department of Automation
and Applied Informatics in the Politehnica University of Timisoara, Romania since
2000, and currently, he is a Doctoral Supervisor of automation and systems engi-
neering in the same institution. He is also an Adjunct Professor within the School of
Engineering, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia, and an Honorary
Professor and a Member of the Doctoral School of Applied Informatics with the
Óbuda University (previously named Budapest Tech Polytechnical Institution),
Budapest, Hungary. He is currently the Director of the Automatic Systems
Engineering Research Centre in the Politehnica University of Timisoara, Romania.

Raul-Cristian Roman received a Bachelor’s degree in engineering in automation

and computers in 2012, a Master’s degree in automation and computers in 2014 and
a Ph.D. degree in systems engineering in 2018 from the Politehnica University of
Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania. From 2012 to 2015, he was a software engineer at
S.C. Elster Rometrics S.R.L., Romania. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the
Department of Automation and Applied Informatics in the Politehnica University of
Timisoara, Romania.

Ali Safaei received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in mechanical engineering from
Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran in 2009 and University of Tehran,
Tehran, Iran in 2012, respectively. After gaining an experience of 5 years in automo-
tive, oil‐gas and power plant industries, he won a TWAS‐USM postgraduate fellow-
ship and started his Ph.D. studies in 2017 at the School of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia. In 2019, he finished his
PhD studies and received a MITACS Accelerate grant for a postdoctoral period at
McGill University and HumanITAS start-up company in Montreal, QC.

xi
 1 Introduction

1.1 THE MOTIVATION OF DATA-DRIVEN MODEL-FREE CONTROL

Model reference control has evolved in time as a popular approach to controller
design and tuning because the control system engineer must usually develop control
systems based on performance specifications. One representative control solution
in this regard is the model reference adaptive control (MRAC). In many situations,
these specifications are formulated as constraints on the time response of the con-
trolled output of the control system, such as overshoot, settling time, rise time, and
steady-state error. This has always been the most direct and easily understandable
way of imposing and assessing the behavior and the quality of control systems. Other
performance specifications can be formulated in the frequency domain, as, for exam-
ple, bandwidth, phase and gain margins and initial slope of open-loop magnitude plot
(for linear systems).
As shown in [Rad11a], a usual way to deal with model reference control is formu-
lated as follows: given a set performance specifications that can be often described by
the response in time of a reference model response with respect to a reference input,
design a control system that makes the controlled output(s) of the process track the
reference model in terms of time response when driven by the same reference input.
The reference model is typically a low-order system. In many applications, the dif-
ference of the outputs of the control system and the reference model, referred to as
tracking error, defines a measure of the quality of the match between the two outputs
and, accordingly, the two systems (i.e., the control system and the reference model).
The cost function or the objective function defined based on the tracking error
depends on the parameters of the controller. The model reference problem requires
finding the suitable set of controller tuning parameters that minimize the objective
function, which brings close the two outputs that form the aforementioned error.
Thus, the model reference control problem becomes an optimization problem that
can be solved analytically or numerically making use of optimization techniques.
The vector variable of the optimization problem is the parameter vector of the con-
troller whose elements are the controller tuning parameters.
However, this way hides important aspects in the general context of the fact that
the control designs usually boil down to tradeoff. The opponents in this tradeoff
are the process and the controller, and their relationship determines those aspects,
namely the disturbance rejection and the parameter sensitivity, which in turn deter-
mine the robust stability and the robust performance.
The controller is subjected to the designer’s choice in both structure complexity
and parameter values, whereas the process can only be known partially. The con-
trol system designers use process models, which are inherently simplifications of the
reality. Therefore, with models available, the controller design can be carried out and

DOI: 10.1201/9781003143444-1 1
2 Data-Driven Model-Free Controllers

next tested but with no guarantee that the implementation of the proposed solution
would give satisfactory results in the real-world operation of the control systems.
The control system designers always have modeling tools at hand such as first
principles modeling or system identification, which lead to mathematical models of
the processes. So, one aspect that has always been fixed with respect to the controller
design is the classical and also modern model-based approach. Whether the control
system designers operate on nominal models or simplified models, the knowledge of
the process model has been essential to the design and analysis of the control sys-
tems. Knowing the model allows for a better insight into the limitations of the con-
troller design and allows to conduct simulation using as detailed as possible process
modes before controller implementation.
As shown in [Rad11a], on the shaky grounds of model uncertainty and parameter
variations, tools had to be developed such that the specifications would be met under
a broad range of conditions; this is the reason for development of adaptive control
and robust control. Adaptive control has emerged as a solution to cope with param-
eter variations by means of automatically redesigning and retuning the controller.
Generally, the difficulty associated with this approach is mainly the analysis that
has to be carried out in a time-varying nonlinear context and possibly the cost of
implementation. The most popular versions of adaptive control are gain schedul-
ing, MRAC (both direct and indirect) and self-tuning regulators. Even when using
approaches like the “MIT rule” or the Lyapunov redesign, use is still made of the
process model. Therefore, bringing together and treating the issues of stability analy-
sis, convergence and robustness, all of them in the time-varying nonlinear frame-
work, is not an easy task for the majority of control engineers.
Model-free controllers, also referred to as data-driven controllers, were
investigated in the literature of control engineering over more than two decades.
These controllers do not rely on a priori known mathematical model of the dynamic
system (i.e., the process) that the controller is going to be implemented on. In other
words, few or even no information on the process that is controlled is used in
controller parameter tuning, conducting experiments on the real-world control sys-
tem replacing it. Instead, a more generic model is considered, and the unknown
parameters in that model are estimated online, based on the measured input-out-
put data sets of the dynamic system. This feature of model-free controllers makes
them attractive to practitioners. This book uses the data-driven model-free con-
trol (MFC) name in order to highlight that use is made of measured input-output
data sets; therefore, the controllers are model-free in the tuning. However, these
techniques make use of system responses in time or frequency domain, which are
nonparametric models.
The control system performance improvement offered by data-driven con-
trol techniques is achieved by simple specifications and relatively easily interpre-
table performance indices. These indices are usually specified in the time domain
(e.g., overshoot, settling time, rise time), and they are aggregated in integral-type
or sum-type objective functions such as the linear-quadratic Gaussian (LQG) ones.
The minimization of the objective functions in constrained optimization problems
can fulfill various objectives as reference trajectory tracking (including model refer-
ence tracking), control input (or control signal) penalty, disturbance rejection, etc.
Other documents randomly have
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The Project Gutenberg eBook of Miss Con
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
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Title: Miss Con

Author: Agnes Giberne

Illustrator: Edgar Giberne

Release date: April 13, 2024 [eBook #73389]

Language: English

Original publication: London: James Nisbet & Co., Limited, 1887

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MISS CON

***
 Transcriber's note: Unusual and inconsistent spelling is
as printed.

I sat long by the lesser hole. Frontispiece.

 MISS CON

BY

AGNES GIBERNE

AUTHOR OF "SUN, MOON AND STARS," "BERYL AND PEARL,"

"ST. AUSTIN'S LODGE," ETC.

ILLUSTRATED BY EDGAR GIBERNE

"Whene'er a noble deed is wrought,

Whene'er is spoken a noble thought,
Our hearts in glad surprise
To higher levels rise."—LONGFELLOW.

NINTH THOUSAND
 London

JAMES NISBET & CO., LIMITED

22 BERNERS STREET, W.

Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.

At the Ballantyne Press, Edinburgh

PREFACE.

I DO not think I need apologise for sending out another

tale about girls and for girls—a tale of everyday life, such as
numerous everyday girls in this Nineteenth Century have to
live. There may be already a legion of books belonging,
more or less, to the same class; but the omnivorous
appetite of modern girlhood is not yet satisfied.

Nor, perhaps, need I apologise for its being in some

measure a story about and for young Authoresses, incipient
or developed. So many girls now crowd the lower rungs of
literary ladders, that a few general hints for their guidance
can hardly fail to be useful in one quarter or another.

It must not, however, be supposed that "All Those Girls"

were would-be Authoresses!
 CONTENTS.

CHAP.

I. CRAVEN'S SENTIMENTS

II. AND CONSTANCE CONWAY'S

III. HOW DIAMONDS FLASH

IV. RAILWAY IMAGININGS

V. A "PRICELESS PRIVILEGE" REALISED

VI. A MOTHER'S SWANS

VII. THYRZA'S SANCTUM

VIII. "MILLIE"

IX. THE QUESTION OF ABBREVIATIONS

X. PLENTY OF "ER"

XI. JUVENILE AUTHORSHIP

XII. AND MAGGIE'S EFFORTS

XIII. LETTERS—VARIOUS

XIV. SUBLIMITY AND MAGGIE

XV. THAT PUBLISHER!!

XVI. WHETHER SOMEBODY LIKED SOMEBODY?

XVII. GLADYS HEPBURN'S FIRST SUCCESSES

XVIII. SERIOUS NEWS

XIX. A MOUNTAIN STATION

XX. AND A YORKSHIRE DALE

XXI. THROUGH A STORM

XXII. MYSTERIOUS HOLES

XXIII. "INDEED!"

XXIV. UNPALATABLE ADVICE

XXV. ALONE IN GURGLEPOOL

XXVI. AUTHORSHIP—WHETHER? AND HOW?

XXVII. ELFIE'S CONFESSION

XXVIII. NON-RAPTURES

XXIX. AND YET!

XXX. A REAL FIVE-SHILLING BOOK

XXXI. CROOKED AND STRAIGHT

XXXII. VERY UNEXPECTED

XXXIII. CONFIDENTIAL IN A CAVE

XXXIV. DIFFERENCES OF VIEW

 XXXV. ENTIRELY VANISHED

XXXVI. AND HE!

MISS CON.

CHAPTER I.
CRAVEN'S SENTIMENTS.

CONSTANCE CONWAY'S JOURNAL.

February 20.

"THE very thing for you, Constance. Most satisfactory.

Really, if we had—a—if we had hunted all England over, we
could not—ahem—could not have hoped to find anything
more suitable. Positively, it is, if I may so say—if I may
venture to use a somewhat time-worn illustration—the
fitting of a round man into a round hole,—a round woman, I
should rather say,—ha, ha! Nothing better could be
desired."

So Craven declared, about ten days ago, with that oily

satisfaction which people are sometimes apt to show about
a convenient arrangement for somebody else. If I decided
to go to the Romillys, it would be particularly convenient for
Craven. I had been a full month in his house, and he was
beginning to favour me with plain hints that a month was
enough. Albinia never ventures to oppose him.

"Just the very thing," he repeated, rubbing his big

flabby hands together. He might be a handsome man, this
brother-in-law of mine, if less ponderously rotund, and
boasting a smaller allowance of cheek and chin. I could not
help thinking that afternoon, as he lounged back in his
study-chair, what a huge individual he is for his fifty years.
Anybody might take him for sixty.

I have not written in my journal for many months. Time

enough now to make a fresh start. The only way is to go
straight ahead, letting alone arrears and explanations.

"Precisely the opening for you," he went on. "Really,

your course is, if I may so say, plain as daylight. As I say,
plain as daylight. I am most happy to have been the means
of affording you—ahem—a shelter, until this—a temporary
shelter, I should say,—until this opening should appear."

Craven, like many other speech-makers, indulges in

broken sentences and needless repetitions.

"Not merely an opening, but a duty,—a positive call to

duty. I have always held the opinion—always, I may say,—
that you were by nature fitted—peculiarly fitted—for the
work of teaching. In fact—a—that you were a first-rate
instructress of youth thrown away,—pardon me! And really,
after the monotony of your existence—a—with the worthy
old lady who has been—ahem—has been so lately removed
from our midst,—after the monotony of your existence, as I
say, hitherto,—you will find—ahem—will find positive
excitement, positive dissipation—a—in the surroundings of
your new life with the Romilly circle."

Craven ought to have felt exhausted by this time. If he

did not, I did.

"Supposing I go," I answered perversely. Craven always

rouses the perverse element in me.

"I was not aware that—ahem—that any other opening

had—a—had presented itself, my dear Constance."

"I don't wish to decide in a hurry," I replied, though I

knew as well as did Craven, that the matter was already
practically settled. "Besides," I added, "it is not generally
supposed that a governess' life means too much dissipation.
Too much work is more likely."

For I did and do think that Craven might be a little less

willing to let me enter on a life of possible or probable
drudgery. Not that I want pity, or that I believe in the need
for real drudgery in anybody's life. Plenty to do is my
delight, and the question of drudgery depends on the spirit
in which one does things. Moreover, I have never expected
Craven to offer me a home; and if he made the offer, I
would not accept it.

Still one does like a man to act a consistent part.

Craven has in his own person so ardent a love for ease and
non-exertion, that from his standpoint, he ought justly to
spare me some grains of pity. My protest only set him off
afresh, however.

"There can be no question, my dear Constance,—ahem

—that your post will be a light one. At the same time, it will
afford you—a—will offer precisely such a sphere for your
talents as you—ahem—will offer, in fact, an appropriate
sphere for your talents. For I see no harm in admitting—a—
no harm in admitting that you are possessed of certain
talents. Here, for the first time in your life,—as I say, for the
first time in your life,—here is a field for their exercise. Not
in mere lesson-giving, but in the exercise of—a—the
exercise of—ahem—the exercise of a mild and beneficent
and improving influence on all around you."

"Am I to begin by improving Mr. Romilly?" I asked.

The laboured and monotonous utterances sounded so

exactly like a third-rate platform speech, that my gravity
was upset. I had to say something which might serve as an
excuse for a laugh.

Craven did not smile. He lifted one broad hand

silencingly.

"In the shaping—ahem—the moulding—ahem—the

general improvement, as I say, of those young people who
will be in your charge. A more delightful occupation could—
a—could scarcely be found. There can be no hesitation
whatever—I say, there can be no hesitation whatever in
pronouncing that you, my dear little sister, are by nature—a
—singularly adapted for the post." Craven always calls me
"little" when he wants to give me a set-down, though really
I am almost as tall as himself. To be sure, I am not so
broad!

"That is the question," I said. "If I could be sure that I

really am fitted—But the responsibilities will be immense. If
I were a woman of forty, instead of a girl not twenty-three
—"

"With the appearance of—a—of thirty at least," asserted

Craven.
 There might be some truth in this. Twice in the month
before, I had been taken for Albinia's twin. But also I had
been twice taken for only eighteen years old. So much
depends on the mood one is in.

"If I could be sure that I am fitted," I said again, rather

rashly inviting a further flow of speech.

"Adapted undoubtedly, I should say," Craven answered.

He drummed his right hand solemnly on the chair-arm, by
way of emphasis. "Unquestionably! For you have gifts, my
dear sister,—I may say that you have gifts. You are clever,—
ahem—intellectual,—ahem—and you have cultivated your
intellect. You are well-read. You draw and paint,—really
quite tolerably. Yes, I may say—a—quite tolerably. Your
music is, on the whole—on the whole, above the average."

Craven's knowledge of music is rather less than that of

his favourite puppy, but this only makes it the easier for
him to pass judgment.

"You have—" he went on—"you have your faults also:

who has not? A certain impetuosity; somewhat too good an
opinion of yourself; an over-readiness to oppose your views
to those of others; these defects have—ahem—have to be
subdued. But again there are faults which in your new
position—which, I may say, in your new position will be—a—
transformed into virtues! For instance! A certain faculty for
spying out others' weaknesses—ahem—a somewhat
unenviable readiness to set others to rights—pardon the
suggestion, my dear little sister! But the adaptability of
things is remarkable—is really, I may say, most remarkable.
For henceforth the business of your life will be—the leading
aim of your existence will be—a—the setting of others to
rights a—the correction of others' faults. Thus, as I may
say, as in fact I have already observed—a—thus at least one
faulty tendency glides into a positive virtue."

My impetuosity came, I suppose, into play here. I felt

all at once that I had endured as much as could reasonably
be expected.

"Have you done, Craven?" I asked, standing up.

Craven was astonished. Probably he had not done; but

my sudden movement disturbed the beautiful orderliness of
his ideas, and put the remainder of his speech to flight.

"Because I think our discussion has lasted long

enough," I said. "I will write to Mrs. Romilly by this
evening's post, and promise to be at Glynde House in a
fortnight."

Craven rose slowly and examined the framed almanack.

We were together in the library, whither he had summoned
me on my return from an afternoon stroll in the park.

"Nothing keeps Con indoors," Albinia is wont to declare,

and certainly that day's fog had not sufficed to do so.

"A fortnight from to-day," he said dubiously. "That

brings us to—the twenty-fifth. Yes; if I am not mistaken—
the twenty-fifth."

"Mrs. Romilly names the twenty-fifth," I said. "I cannot

offer to go sooner. It is unfortunate; but she does not leave
England for another week; and she wishes me to arrive a
week later. I am afraid you will have to put up with me so
long."

Without waiting for an answer, I passed out of the

luxurious library into the spacious hall.
 CHAPTER II.
AND CONSTANCE CONWAY'S.

THE SAME—continued.

February 21.

ALBINIA has a comfortable home,—so far as carpets

and curtains are concerned. If only that mountain of human
pomposity were not appended! But then she need never
have accepted him unless she wished. Albinia went in for
the man, with the carpets and curtains, of her own free-will.

Of course it is pleasant to be comfortable. I should be

the last to deny that fact. Velvet-piled carpets, into which
the foot sinks as into moss, are superior to bare boards;
and tapestry at twelve or fifteen shillings the yard is very
much nicer than a cheap cretonne at twelve or fifteen
pence. Still a good deal depends on how much may be
involved in the possession of mossy carpets and rich
tapestry.

Sometimes I find myself wondering whether, if ten

years ago could come over again, Albinia would say "Yes" a
second time. She was only twenty then, and he was by no
means so portly as now. But Craven Smyth was Craven
Smyth always. He never could be anything else. He
managed invariably to excite naughty feelings in me,
though I was a child under twelve. Albinia could not
understand why. She used to say he was "so nice!"—That
delightfully indefinite term which does quite as well for a
man as for a cretonne. And her one hesitation seemed to be
on the score of his surname. "To think of becoming Mrs.
Smyth!" she remarked often.

After leaving the library, I lingered in the hall, thinking.

Should I write my letter first, or speak to Albinia first? Time
enough for both before I needed to dress for dinner. The
latter seemed right, so I passed on into the drawing-room,
with its costly furniture and superabundant gilding.

Not four days had gone by since I first heard of this

"desirable opening" in the Romilly household. I had
answered the earliest appeal by return of post, asking
further particulars, and expressing strong doubts as to my
own capacity. A letter had now arrived from Mrs. Romilly
herself, urging, nay, imploring me to accept the position.

Had the request come from any one else except Mrs.
Romilly, I must have unhesitatingly declined. For whatever
Craven may say, I am not fitted for the post. I, a girl of
twenty-two, unused to teaching, inexperienced in family
life,—I to undertake so anomalous and difficult a task! The
very idea seems to me wild, even foolish. Humanly
speaking, I court only failure by consenting to go!

And yet—what if it is indeed the right thing for me? For

all along it has appeared as if that were the one open path;
as if all other paths were hedged up and shut. Any one else
except Mrs. Romilly! Yes; that would make all the
difference. But then, it is Mrs. Romilly! And she is ill,
depressed, troubled, in difficulties, and she implores my
help. How can I hesitate or think of self?
 I have no other friend in the world like Mrs. Romilly. Not
that we have been so very much together; but I think I fell
in love with her at first sight, and the love has gone on
growing ever since, steadily. Three times, at intervals, she
has spent a month with an aged relative in Bath,—an
acquaintance of Aunt Lavinia's and mine,—and each time
we met as often as possible. We walked and drove
together; read and sang together; went often to the Abbey
Church together. I can talk freely to her, as I have never
talked with any other human being; and she is no less free
with me. She has often said that I helped her; and this
seemed strange, because she has so often helped me.

Sweet Gertrude Romilly! I have never met with any one

else quite like her; and I doubt if I ever shall. She is twenty
years my senior; yet I do not think we have found disparity
of age any bar to friendship. It would be unreasonable to
suppose that I am as much to her as she is to me. She is so
lovely, so beloved; and she has so many who are very near
and dear to her, while I have but few. But, indeed, I find the
love that she gives to me very full and satisfying.

I suppose her spirits in girlhood must have been

wonderfully high. She has gone through much trouble, and
has suffered under it most acutely; and notwithstanding all,
she seems often to be just rippling over with happiness and
fun. I never quite know whether to count her more winning
in her gay or in her pensive moods.

During the three years since our acquaintance first

began, Mrs. Romilly and I have corresponded regularly; and
she has pressed me often to pay her a visit at Glynde
House. But I have never felt that I could rightly leave poor
Aunt Lavinia, since she grew so very infirm.
 Now that my dear old aunt has been taken from me,
things are changed. It did seem strange for a while that no
word of sympathy came from Glynde House. The response
has always been so quick, if I were in any trouble. But a few
lines from the eldest daughter, Nellie, with a dictated
message from my friend, soon let me know the cause.

I cannot now understand precisely what is wrong. Mrs.

Romilly has broken down in health, though to what extent I
do not know. A sudden attack on her chest has revealed a
condition of things there, unsuspected before; and she is
ordered off in haste to the south of Europe before March
winds begin. That is not all, however. Nellie alludes to "the
state of her nerves;" and it seems to be expected that she
may have to remain many months away,—perhaps a great
part of the summer. Nellie goes in charge of the invalid, and
Mr. Romilly remains behind.

In the midst of these anxieties, another blow has fallen.

The governess, Miss Jackson, who for fifteen years has lived
with the Romillys, was summoned home to the bedside of a
dying mother just before Mrs. Romilly's illness. After weeks
of absence she wrote, unexpectedly, to plead the claims of a
widowed father, begging to be if possible at once released.
The claim could hardly be disallowed, and no difficulties
have been made. But then it was that Mrs. Romilly turned
to the thought of me. She knew of my plans for self-
support. Would I, she asked, step into the vacant post, and
be—not merely governess, but companion, caretaker, elder
sister, guide, and friend to her darling girls?

The first letter on this topic was dictated, but the

second was in her own hand,—so changed and feeble a
hand, that it grieved my very heart,—pleading earnestly.
Would I—could I—refuse to set her mind at rest?
 No, I could not; and were the moment of decision to
come over again, I feel that my reply would be the same. I
could not refuse; even though the sense of incapacity
weighed then and weighs still most heavily. I am not old
enough or experienced enough for the position. Yet it did
seem to me then, and it seems so still, that I have no
choice.

CHAPTER III.
HOW DIAMONDS FLASH!

THE SAME.

February 24.

I MUST take up the thread where I left off three days

ago. The last evening in Albinia's house has come, and to-
morrow I make my plunge into a new life. It is late, and I
have been busy; but there is much to think about, and
sleep looks impossible at present. As well sit up and write,
as toss to and fro in the dark.

Albinia was seated near the drawing-room fire when I

went in, reading a little, or working a little, I can't say
which. She is always doing a little of something, which ends
in nothing. Perhaps she was working, for I noticed the flash
of her diamond rings as she moved her hands.