She stood loitering, for the sound of the river and the shade of the
willows were pleasant on the glowing July day, and having made all
her arrangements for going from home, she had no pressing employment,
and thus she waited, musing as she seldom allowed herself time to do,
and thinking over each phase of her conduct towards Sophy, in the
endeavour to detect the mistake; and throughout came, not exactly
answering her query, but throwing a light upon it, her brother's
warning, that if she did not resign herself to rest quietly when rest
was forced upon her, she would work amiss when she did work.
Just then came a swinging of the gate, a step on the walk, and Miss
Meadows made her appearance. A message had been sent up in the
morning, but grandmamma was so nervous, that Maria had trotted down
in the heat so satisfy her.
Albinia was surprised to find that womanhood had thrown all their
instincts on the baby's side, and was gratified by the first truly
kind fellow-feeling they had shown her. She took Maria into the
morning room, where she had left Sophy lying on the sofa, and ran up
to fetch Maurice from the nursery.
When she came down, having left the nurse adorning him, she found
that she had acted cruelly. Sophy was standing up with her hardest
face on, listening to her aunt's well-meant rebukes on her want of
feeling, and hopes that she did regret the having endangered her
brother, and deprived 'her dear mamma of the party of pleasure at
Fairmead; but Aunt Maria knew it was of no use to talk to Sophy,
none--!'
'Pray don't, Aunt Maria,' said Albinia, gently drawing Sophy down on
the sofa again; 'this poor child is in no state to be scolded.
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