Spite of all the naughtiness, she loved the beautiful wild creature,
and could not bear to think of intrusting her to strangers; she knew,
too, that her brother and sister-in-law had no objection, and it was
the obvious plan. Mr. Gould would make some small payment, and the
child was to be made to understand that she must be obedient, learn
her lessons, and cease to expect to find a refuge with her
grandfather when she was offended.
She drew herself up with childish pride and grace saying, "I will
attend to Mrs. Brownlow, for she is my cousin and my equal."
To a certain degree the little maiden kept her word. She was the
favourite plaything of the boys, and got on well with Babie, who was
too bright and yielding to quarrel with any one.
But Janet's elder-sisterly authority was never accepted by the
newcomer. "I couldn't mind her, she looked so ugly," said she in
excuse; and probably the heavy, brown, dull complexion and large
features were repulsive in themselves to the sensitive fancy of the
creature of life and beauty. At any rate, they were jarring
elephants, as said Eleanor, who was growing ambitious, and sometimes
electrified the public with curious versions of the long words more
successfully used by Armine and Babie.
Caroline succeeded in modelling a very lovely profile in bas-relief
of the exquisite little head, and then had it photographed.
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