"The Major is military secretary, and always settles our head-
quarters, and no one interferes with him," shouted Conrade.

Rachel, suspicious and jealous of her rival, was obliged to let Fanny
pass on to the next item, where her eager acceptance of all that was
prescribed to her was evidently meant as compensation for her
refractoriness about the house.

Grace had meanwhile applied herself to keeping off the boys, and was
making some progress in their good graces, and in distinguishing
between their sallow faces, dark eyes, and crisp, black heads.
Conrade was individualized, not only by superior height, but by
soldierly bearing, bright pride glancing in his eyes, his quick
gestures, bold, decided words, and imperious tone towards all, save
his mother--and whatever he was doing, his keen, black eye was always
turning in search of her, he was ever ready to spring to her side to
wait on her, to maintain her cause in rough championship, or to claim
her attention to himself. Francis was thick-set, round-shouldered,
bullet-headed and dull-eyed, in comparison, not aggressive, but
holding his own, and not very approachable; Leoline, thin, white-
cheeked, large-eyed and fretful-lipped, was ready to whine at
Conrade's tyranny and Francis's appropriations, but was grateful for
Grace's protection, and more easy of access than his elders; and
Hubert was a handsome, placid child, the good boy, as well as the
beauty of the family. The pair in the nursery hardly came on the
stage, and the two elders would be quite sufficient for Mrs. Curtis,
with whom the afternoon was to be spent.

The mother, evidently, considered it a very long absence, but she was