Her
calls at Devereux Castle took up many afternoons. Florence
continually lent her amusing books, her aunt took great interest in
her music, and she spent much time in practising. The mornings were
cold and dark, and she could not rise early, and thus her time
slipped away, she knew not how, uselessly and unsatisfactorily. The
three younger ones were left more to themselves, and to the maids.
Jane sought for amusement in village gossip, and the little ones,
finding the nursery more agreeable than the deserted drawing-room,
made Esther their companion.
Mr. Mohun had, at this time, an unusual quantity of business on his
hands; he saw that the girls were not going on well, but he had
reasons for not interfering at present, and he looked forward to
Eleanor's visit as the conclusion of their trial.
'I cannot think,' said Marianne Weston one day to her sister, 'why
Mr. Mohun comes here so often.'
Alethea told her he had some business with their mamma, and she
thought no more of the matter, till she was one day questioned by
Jane. She was rather afraid of Jane, who, as she thought, disliked
her, and wished to turn her into ridicule; so it was with no
satisfaction that she found herself separated from the others in the
course of a walk, and submitted to a cross-examination.
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