Then
came longings to see and satisfy herself as to what was indeed
the aspect of him whom she was learning to love.
No wonder there was something unsettled and distressed about her,
overthrowing much of that gentle duteous ness which she had brought
from home. She wrote but briefly and scantily to her sister, not
feeling as if she could give full confidence; she drifted away from
some of the good habits enjoined on her, feeling that, as a married
woman, she was less under authority. She was less thorough in her
religious ways, less scrupulous in attending to the children's
lessons; and the general fret of her uncertainties told upon her
temper with them. They loved her heartily still, and she returned
their affection, but she was not so uniformly patient and good-
humoured. Indeed since Amoret's departure some element of harmony
was missing, and it could not now be said that a whine, a quarrel,
or a cry was a rare event. Even the giving up my lady's wearisome
piece of embroidery had scarcely a happy effect, for Aurelia missed
the bracing of the task-work and the attention it required, and
the unoccupied time was spent in idle fretting. A little self-
consequence too began to set in, longing for further recognition
of the dignities of Madam Belamour.
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