ow can you be such a brute, Henry?'

'Come away, my dears,' said Averil, rising, and holding out her hands
to her sisters, as she recollected how bad the scene was for them, but
it was only Minna who obeyed the call, Ella hung about Henry, declaring
that Leonard was naughty, and Ave was cross.

'Well,' shouted Leonard, 'I shan't stay to see that child set against
her sister! I wonder what you mean her to come to, Henry!'

It was no wonder that Minna and Ella squabbled together as to which was
cross, Henry or Averil, and the spirit of party took up its fatal abode
in the house of Bankside.

CHAPTER IX

Too oft my anxious eye has spied
That secret grief thou fain wouldst hide--
The passing pang of humbled pride.--SCOTT

The winter was gay, between musical evenings, children's parties,
clerical feastings of district visitors, soirees for Sunday-school
teachers, and Christmas-trees for their scholars. Such a universal
favourite as Harry, with so keen a relish for amusement, was sure to
fall an easy prey to invitations; but the rest of the family stood
amazed to see him accompanied everywhere by Tom, to whom the secular
and the religious dissipations of Stoneborough had always hitherto been
equally distasteful. Yet be submitted to a Christmas course of music,
carpet-dances, and jeux de societe on the one hand, and on the other
conferred inestimable obligations on the ecclesiastical staff by
exhibitions of his microscope and of some of the ornamental sports of
chemistry.

'The truth is,' was the explanation privately dropped out to Ethel,
'that some one really must see that those two don't make fools of
themselves.'

Ethel stared; then, coming to the perception who 'those two' meant,
burst out laughing, and said, 'My dear Tom, I beg your pardon, but, on
the whole, I think that is more likely to befall some one else.'

Tom held his head loftily, and would not condescend to understand
anything so foolish.

He considered Bankside as the most dangerous quarter, for Harry was
enraptured with Miss Ward's music, extolled her dark eyes, and openly
avowed her attraction; but there were far more subtle perils at
Laburnum Grove. The fair widow was really pretty, almost elegant, her
weeds becoming; and her disposition so good, so religious, so
charitable, that, with her activity, intelligence, and curate-worship,
she was a dangerous snare to such of mankind as were not sensible of
her touch of pretension.