Lily remained in her own
room till one o'clock, when she joined the others in the schoolroom,
and they read aloud some book of history till two, the hour of dinner
for the younger, and of luncheon for the elder. They then went out,
and on their return from evening service, which began at half-past
four, the little ones had their lessons to learn, and the others were
variously employed till dinner, the time of which was rather
uncertain but always late. The evening passed pleasantly and quickly
away in reading, work, music, and chatter.
As Emily had expected, her first troubles were with Phyllis; called,
not the neat handed, by her sisters; Master Phyl, by her brothers;
and Miss Tomboy, by the maids. She seemed born to be a trial of
patience to all concerned with her; yet without many actual faults,
except giddiness, restlessness, and unrestrained spirits. In the
drawing-room, schoolroom, and nursery she was continually in scrapes,
and so often reproved and repentant, that her loud roaring fits of
crying were amongst the ordinary noises of the New Court. She was
terribly awkward when under constraint, or in learning any female
accomplishment, but swift and ready when at her ease, and glorying in
the boyish achievements of leaping ditches and climbing trees.
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