and yet she was rather ashamed of her own amusement and interest,
when she heard her sister-in-law say, 'If he did but know how weary I
am of that hateful thing, a great house!'

'I hope Cheveleigh is not grander than Ormersfield,' said Clara, in
an odd sort of voice.

The ladies, for the first time, did not sit together this morning.
Clara practised, and Isabel took the Chapel in the Valley out of her
desk, and began a process of turning the Sir Roland into Sir Hubert.

Oliver and his mother were in the sitting-room, and, on James's
return from school in the middle of the day, he was summoned thither.
Mrs. Frost was sitting by the fire, rather tearful and nervous, and
her son stood full in the front, as dignified and magnanimous as size
and features would permit, and the same demeanour was instantly and
unconsciously assumed by his nephew, who was beyond measure chafed by
the attempt at a grand coup,

'I have requested your presence,' began Oliver, 'as the eldest son of
my elder brother, and thus, after my mother, the head of our family.
You are aware that when unfortunate circumstances involved my
mother's property, it was my determination to restore the inheritance
to her, and to my dear brother Henry. For this object, I have worked
for the last thirty-four years, and a fortunate accident having
brought our family estate into the market, I have been enabled to
secure it. I am now ready to make it over to my mother, with entail
to yourself and your heirs, as representatives of my brother Henry,
and settling five thousand pounds on your sister, as the portion to
which the younger children of our family have always been entitled.