The prospect of Alethea seeing much of Ernest was a serious
matter. Christina smelt mischief from afar, as indeed she often did.
Alethea was worldly- as worldly, that is to say, as a sister of
Theobald's could be. In her letter to Theobald she had said she knew
how much of his and Christina's thoughts were taken up with anxiety
for the boy's welfare. Alethea had thought this handsome enough, but
Christina had wanted something better and stronger. "How can she
know how much we think of our darling?" she had exclaimed, when
Theobald showed her his sister's letter. "I think, my dear, Alethea
would understand these things better if she had children of her
own." The least that would have satisfied Christina was to have been
told that there never yet had been any parents comparable to
Theobald and herself. She did not feel easy that an alliance of some
kind would not grow up between aunt and nephew, and neither she nor
Theobald wanted Ernest to have any allies. Joey and Charlotte were
quite as many allies as were good for him. After all, however, if
Alethea chose to go and live at Roughborough, they could not well stop
her, and must make the best of it.
Pages:
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246