'I wonder who she thinks is excited?' exclaimed Albinia, as they
finally turned their backs on her.
It was hardly in human nature to help making the observation, but it
was not prudent. Gilbert took licence to laugh, and say, 'Aunt Maria
is beside herself.'
'I never heard anything so absurd or unjust!' cried Albinia, too much
irritated to remember anything but the sympathy of her auditor. 'If
I am to be treated in this manner, I have done striving to please
them. Due respect shall be shown, but as to intimacy and
confidence--'
'I'm glad you see it so at last!' cried Gilbert. 'Aunt Maria has
been the plague of my life, and I'm glad I told her a bit of my
mind!'
What was Albinia's consternation! Her moment's petulance had undone
her morning's work.
'Gilbert,' she said, 'we are both speaking very wrongly. I
especially, who ought to have helped you.'
Spite of all succeeding humility the outburst had been fatal, and
argue and plead as she might, she could not restore the boy to
anything like the half satisfactory state of penitence in which she
had led him from home. The giving way to her worse nature had
awakened his, and though he still allowed that she should prepare the
way for his confession to his father, all real sense of his
outrageous conduct towards his aunt was gone.
Disheartened and worn out, Albinia did not feel equal even to going
to take off her walking things, but sat down in the drawing-room on
the sofa, and tried to silence the girls' questions and chatter, by
desiring Lucy to read aloud.
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