generally do; she had an intense disgust and loathing of underhand
ways, could not bear to think of Tom's carrying them on, and going to
a place of temptation with them uncorrected; and she looked up to her
father with the reverence and enthusiasm of one like minded.

She was vexed on another score. Norman came home from Abbotstoke
Grange without having seen Miss Rivers, but with a fresh basket of
choice flowers, rapturous descriptions of Mr. Rivers's prints, and a
present of an engraving, in shading, such as to give the effect of a
cast, of a very fine head of Alexander. Nothing was to be thought of
but a frame for this--olive, bay, laurel, everything appropriate to
the conqueror. Margaret and Norman were engrossed in the subject,
and, to Ethel, who had no toleration for fancy work, who expected
everything to be either useful and intellectual, this seemed very
frivolous. She heard her father say how glad he was to see Norman
interested and occupied, and certainly, though it was only in leather
leaves, it was better than drooping and attending to nothing. She
knew, too, that Margaret did it for his sake, but, said Ethel to
herself, "It was very odd that people should find amusement in such
things. Margaret always had a turn for them, but it was very strange
in Norman."

Then came the pang of finding out that this was aggravated by the
neglect of herself; she called it all selfishness, and felt that she
had had an uncomfortable, unsatisfactory day, with everything going
wrong.