Reginald was
affectionate, but too reckless and violent not to be very
troublesome, and he too often flew into a passion if Maurice
attempted to laugh at him; the little girls were often frightened and
made unhappy; Phyllis would scream and roar, and Ada would come
sobbing to Emily, to be comforted after some rudeness of Reginald's.
It was not very often that quarrels went so far, but many a time in
thought, word, and deed was the rule of love transgressed, and more
than once did Emily feel ready to give up all her dignity, to have
Eleanor's hand over the boys once more. Claude, finding that he
could do much to prevent mischief, took care not to leave the two
boys long together with the elder girls. They were far more
inoffensive when separate, as Maurice never practised his tormenting
tricks when no one was present to laugh with him, and Reginald was
very kind to Phyllis and Ada, although somewhat rude.
It was a day or two after they returned that Phyllis was leaning on
the window-sill in the drawing-room, watching a passing shower, and
admiring the soft bright tints of a rainbow upon the dark gray mass
of cloud. 'I do set my bow in the cloud,' repeated she to herself
over and over again, until Adeline entering the room, she eagerly
exclaimed, 'Oh Ada, come and look at this beautiful rainbow, green,
and pink, and purple.
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