A Satisfactory Solution

Jane Hutton was eighteen and lived with her parents. She was the youngest of three children. Her married sister lived in another part of the country. Her brother worked for a large international company and lived abroad. Jane was in her final year at school and had to decide on her future. She was clever enough to go to university. She had passed all her examinations with high marks. Her best subjects were English and History, but her favorite one was Art.

Her parents were against her going to an Art school. They thought that she would find it difficult to make a living as an artist. They also thought that all artists went around with long hair and dirty clothes. They thought that she should take a teacher-training course or a secretarial course. If she did one of these, she would never have any difficulty in finding a job. But neither of these ideas appealed to Jane. She definitely wanted to do something connected with art. She spoke to some of her teachers. Most of them thought that she should go to university. They said that a girl with brains shouldn't waste the opportunity. But each teacher thought that she should study her subject. After making a lot of inquiries, she discovered that there was a suitable course that appealed to her. It was at the university in the capital that she could study English, History and the History of Art. The course also included drawing and painting. Her parents were unhappy about her leaving home. They refused to let her live on her own in a large city. Then her sister's husband got a job in the capital and her sister and her husband moved there. They had a spare room in their flat and it was arranged for Jane to live with them. At last everyone was satisfied.