"Poor little thing," said Babie, "she is sadly fretful. Nobody but
Essie can manage her."
"I should think not!" said Cecil, looking after the vision, as if he
did not know what he was saying. "You never told me you had any one
like _that_ in the family?"
"O yes; there are two of them, as much alike as two peas."
"What! the Monk's sisters?"
"To be sure. They are a comely family; all but poor little Lina."
"Will they be long here ?"
"That depends. That poor little mite is the youngest but one, and
the nurse likes boys best. So she peaked and pined, and was bullied
by Edmund above and Harry below, and was always in trouble. Nobody
but Johnny and Essie ever had a good word for her. This autumn it
came to a crisis. You know we had a great meeting of the two
families at Walmer, and there, the shock of bathing nearly took out
of her all the little life there was. I believe she would have gone
into fits if mother had not heard her screams, and dashed on the
nurse like a vindictive mermaid, and then made uncle Robert believe
her. My aunt trusts the nurse, you must know, and lets her ride
rough-shod over every one in the nursery. The poor little thing was
always whining and fretting whenever she was not in Essie's arms or
the Monk's, till the Monk declared she had a spine, and he and mother
gave uncle and aunt no peace till they brought her here for advice,
and sure enough her poor little spine is all wrong, and will never be
good for anything without a regular course of watching and treatment.
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