Kendal. 'Their good-nature ought
not to go beyond reason.'
The elder Maurice could hardly help shrugging his shoulders. Well
did he know that Mr. Kendal would have joined the team if such had
been the will of that sovereign in scarlet merino, who stood with one
hand in Gilbert's, and the whip in the other.
'Come here, Maurice,' quoth Albinia; 'put down the whip,' and she
extracted it from his grasp, with grave resolution, against which he
made no struggle, gave it to Lucy to be put away, and seated him on
her knee. 'Now listen, Maurice; poor sister Sophy is tired, and you
are never to make a horse of her. Do you hear?'
'Yes,' said Maurice, fidgeting.
'Mind, if ever you make a horse of Sophy, mamma will put you into the
black cupboard. You understand?'
'Sophy shan't be horse,' said Maurice. 'Sophy naughty, lazy horse.
Boy has Gibbie--'
'There's gratitude,' said Mr. Ferrars, as 'Boy' slid off his mamma's
knee, stood on tiptoe to pull the door open, and ran after Gilbert to
grandmamma's room.
'Yes,' said Albinia, 'no one is grateful for services beyond all
reason. So, Sophy, mind, into the cupboard he goes, the very next
time you are so silly as to be a horse.'
'To punish which of them?' asked her brother.
'Sophy knows,' said Albinia.
Sophy was too miserable to smile. Sarah Anne Drury had been calling,
and on hearing of Gilbert's indisposition, had favoured them with
'mamma's remarks,' and when Mrs.
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