Countess Kate

in Bruton Street; and found one day so like another, that she sometimes a

or if there were any noise Aunt Barbara would knock and be displeased. Aunt Barbara rose long before that time, but she feared lest Au

so far from playing at cards in a bird-of-paradise turban all Sunday, the aunts were quite as particular about these things as Mr. Wardour-more inconveniently so, the countess thought; for he alw

," gravely said Mrs. Lacy; and Kate gave herself an

he stiff hard words and set phrases gave accuracy to her ideas; and the learning

vous work, for the question was not how the learning should

x weeks in vain, and that she had had a bad mark every day; that Papa had said it was all nonsense

as he pleased while Katharine was under his charge, but that it would be h

half desperate; "you will see t

ll the answer she obtained; and she pi

nd untamed voice, but to be good for her whole character-that is, if she had made a good use of them. But in these times, being usually already out of temper with the difficult answers of the Catechism questions, and obliged to keep in her pettish feelings towards what concerned sacred

she moved as though wearied out for the whole day by the time the clock struck nine, and released them; whilst her pupil, who never was cross long

ose were apt to be grave breakfasts; not like the merry mornings at home, when chatter used to go on in half whispers between the younger ones, with la

d hands, and a strong upright back, was a remarkably awkward child; and the more she was lectured, the more ungraceful she made herself-partly from thinking about it, and from fright making her abrupt, partly from being provoked. She had never been so ungainly at Oldburgh; she never was half so awkward in the school-room, as she would be while ta

t, was very much her own fault. She could never be found fault with but she answered again. She had been scarcely broken of replying and justifying herself, even to Mr. Wardour, and had often argued with Mary till he came in and put a sudden sharp stop to it; and now she usually defende

were not meant for lit

't want one always to s

r used as a desk! How was she to know that this only meant that he had once had the misfortune to express his disapproval of the high-backed long-legged school-room chairs formerly in fashion? In fact, Kate could h

ry, that no words would come but a passionate s

tion, Lady Caergwent; and until you have learnt to feel it yourself, I shall request M

she had spent her tears and sobs, she began to think over her aunt's cruelty and ingratitude, and the wickedness of trying to make her ungrateful too; and she composed a thrilling speech, as she called it-"Lady Barbara Umfra

t to cut off Pa-at its first syllable, and turn it into a faltering "my uncle;" and that, though Kate's heart was very sore and angry, she never, except once or twice when the word s

s of exact correctness of truth had brought all this upon

y from the description of K

read it while Josephine dressed her as if she had been a doll; or else she had a story book in

ia; and these were times of feeling very like a prisoner. Other children in the gardens seemed to be friends, and played together; but this the aunts ha

stories; but it often happened that the low grave "Yes, my dear," showed by the very tone that her governess had heard not a word

governess in affliction; it is very

and what good it would have done her if her pupil had tried to be like a gentle

She liked these lessons, and did well in all, as soon as she left off citing Mary Wardour's pronunciations, and ways of doing sums. Indeed, she had more lively conversation with her French master, who was a very good-n

lowed reading of history, and needle-work. Lady Barbara was very particular that she should learn to work well, and was a good deal

me; but she says all

Mrs. Lacy

ved before her. She always had a kind word to say; Mrs. Lacy seemed brighter and less oppressed in the sound of her voice; everyone was more at ease; and when speaking to her, or waiting upon her, Lady Barbara was no longer stern in manner nor dry in voice. The meal was not lively; there was nothing like t

n the way for which the young limbs longed. No one was likely to play at blind man's buff and hare and hounds in that house; and even her poor attempt at throwing her gloves or a pen-wiper against the wall, and catching them in the rebound, and her scampers up-stairs two steps

ns, though Kate knew that none of them were perfectly agreeable to Aunt Barbara, who had been heard to speak of children's reading far t

ut somehow, a new tale every week had not half the zest that stories had when a fresh book only came into the house by rare and much prized chances; and though the paper was smooth, and the blue and red lovely, it was not half so nice to draw and paint as with Sylvia helping, and the remains of Mary's rubbings for making illuminations; nay, Lily spoiling everything, and Armyn and Charlie laug

ke a countess than she was at present. Those were poor Kate's black days of the week; when her feet were pinched, and her arms turned the wrong way, as it seemed to her; and she was in perpetual disgrace. And oh, that polite disgrace

ne, the carriage set Mrs. Lacy and Kate down in Hyde Park for their walk, while the aunts drove about; and this, after the first novelty, was nearly as dull as the morning walk. The quiet decorous pacing along was v

the day never came, though whenever Kate had been in no particular scrape for a little while, she hoped it was coming. Though certainly days without scrapes were not many: the loud tones, the screams of laughing that

r skirts curiously entangled themselves in rails and balusters, caught upon nails, and tore into ribbons; and though all the repairs fell to Josephine's lot, and the

ng, she refreshed herself with play and chatter with Josephine. She was supposed to talk French to her; but it was very odd sort of French, and Josephine did not insist on its being better. She

a book of her own, or else she read bits of those lying on the tables, till Lady Barbara caught her, and in spite of her p

o clumsy a pupil, that Lady Barbara declared that her sister must not be worried, and put a stop to the lessons. So Kate sometimes read, or dawdled over her grounding; or when Aunt Barbara was singing, she would nestle up to her other aunt, and go off into some dreamy fancy of growing up, getting home to the Wardours, or having them to live with her at her own home; or even of a great revolution, in which, after the pattern of the French nobility, s

me to put an end to them; but Lady Barbara came up one evening, declared that a girl of eleven years old must not be permitted in su

be, nor how the silly little brain imagined everything possible and impossible; sometimes that thieves were breaking in-sometimes that the house was on fire-sometime

if the last." But she never thought of it in the morning, nor made it a guide to her actions; or else she would have dreaded it less. And at night it did not make her particular about obedience. It only made her want to keep Josephine; as if Josephine and a candle could protect her from that Day and Hour! And if the m

"Papa." Perhaps it was not in the nature of things that she should; but no one can habitually prac