Her sisters and brothers were not less forlorn. Emily sighed and
lamented; Adeline was feverish and petulant; and Jane toiled in vain
to please and soothe both, and to comfort Maurice; but with all her
good-temper and good-nature she had not the spirit which alone could
enable her to be a comfort to any one. Ada whined, fretted, and was
disobedient, and from Maurice she met with nothing but rebuffs; he
was silent and sullen, and spent most of the day in the workshop,
slowly planing scraps of deal board, and watching with a careless eye
the curled shavings float to the ground.
In the course of the afternoon Alethea and Marianne came to inquire
after the patient. Jane came down to them and talked very fast, but
when they asked for a further explanation of the cause of the
accident, Jane declared that Maurice said it was impossible that any
one who did not understand chemistry should know how it happened, and
Alethea went away strongly reminded that it was no affair of hers.
Notes passed between the New Court and the vicarage, but Mr. Devereux
was feeling the effect of his yesterday's exertion too much to repeat
it, and no persuasion of the sisters could induce Maurice to visit
him.
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