Countess Kate

f making Kate long more and more for a return of "fun," and

and at other times she imagined her Uncle Giles's two daughters still alive, and sent home for education, arrangin

ught of the coming chance of playfellows, when Lord de la Poer was to bring his family to London. She had learnt the names and ages of all the ten; and even had her own theories as to what

retted over her lessons at times. So they showed her to the doctor, who came to see Lady Jane every alternate day; and when he said she wanted more exercise, her morning walk was made an hour long

re than three times; and Mrs. Lacy looked as grave and melancholy all the time as if she played it for a punishment, making little efforts to be cheerful that were sad to see. Kate hated it, and was always cross; an

ttledore to give a lesson, it seemed as if, between her and Mrs. Lacy, the shuttlecock would not come down-the

eness. Once Kate by accident knocked her shuttlecock through the window, and hoped she had got rid of it; but she was

and unkind; but it was a great pity that she visited her vexation on poor Mrs. Lacy, to whom th

ut it into her mind, she never once thought of her governess as one who ought to be spared and pitied. Yet if she had been sorry for Mrs. Lacy, and tried to spare her trouble and annoyance, how much irritability and peevishness, and sense of

s to be dressed for going out to make a call

et, and white ribboned and feathered hat, were adjusted. Lady Barbara kept her little countess very prettily and quietly dressed; but it was at the cost of infinite worry of herself, Kate, and Josephine, for there never was a child whom it was so hard to keep in decent trim. Armyn's old saying, that she o

t or scolding; and jumped in first. She was a long way yet from knowing that, though her aunts gave the fi

ut she might have learnt it of a certain parable, which she could say fr

la Poer's. The children there were exceedingly well brought up, she said, and she was very desirous they should be her niec

was," said Kate, in her spirit of contradicti

Barbara severely. "Unless you make a very different impression upon Lady

ppen. If the horses would only upset us at the door, and Aunt Barbara be nicely insensible, and the young countess show the utmost presence of mind! But nothing nice and like a book ever does happen. And after all, I believe that it is all nonsense about making impressions. Thinking

stairs were mounted, and the aunt and niece were ushered into a pretty bright-looking drawing-room, there th

on the ground, helping two little ones to put up a puzzle of wild beasts; and there was a little herd of girls at the farther corner, all very busy over so

ssed him! and the others all waited quietly over their several occupations, neither shrinking foolishly from notice, nor putting themselves forward to claim it. Only the four sisters came up, and took their own special visitor into the midst of them as their own p

ntance with other children absolutely impossible in the presence of grown-up people, whose eyes and voices seemed to strike all parties dumb. But these childre

out in London?" asked K

id one of the girls; laughing; "except w

Fanny, down to little Cecil the baby-and that is our gr

ver take you out

then, or else she goes out with Papa. It is

for more than she could well say. However, she was discreet

e make them. We don't tell stories in the country, unless we have to walk

y busy preparing for her birth-day. They were making a paper-case for her, all the

lves?" said Kate; "one can buy

to make, is worth a great deal more than what is

but nasty tumble-to-piec

much alike for Kate to guess which was which, began in a rather offended manner to assure her that their paper-case

ond, on purpose to get leaves to

ned tightly down, and that the entire sheet was then covered with a spattering of ink from a tooth-brush drawn along the tooth of a comb. When the process was com

spite of the newspaper, on which the appliances were laid, and even

d nothing to do for months, with the dear delight of maki

bib, and opening her hands with a laugh, showed

Kate's next cry; "one little

quipped, and would ink herself all over. If she would pin down a leaf upon the scrap she h

them down, and that anyone could put on the ink; in vain did Mary represent the dirtiness of the work: this was the beauty of it in her eyes; and the sight of the black dashes sputtering through the comb filled her with emulation; so t

et, turned up the frock sleeves, and tied on an apron; though Kate fidgeted all the time, as if a great injury were being inflicted on her; and reall

and merriment, and kept her friends much amused b

as one! Take care, inhabitants below; growl, growl, there's the thunder;

ate nor Grace exactly knew what hands or brush or comb were about; but whereas the little De La Poers had from their infancy laughed almost noiseles

peated, it caused Lady Barbara, who had been sitti

when she saw the young lady, whom she had brought delicately bl

walking up to them, he turned Kate round to a mirror, where she beheld her own brown eyes looking out of a face dashed over with black specks, thicker about the mouth, giving her altoge

hat your Uncle Giles is like? you've only to look at

with an emphasis on the name, as if she meant that the

d not have put her in such a condition;

ead of that Fanny only answered, "It is not so bad as it looks, Mamma; I bel

It is all my fault, and nobody's else's

the door shut behind them, Lord de la Poer said, "You need not be afraid of that likeness, Barb

by her brief minutes of enjoyment; and the little maidens all went racing and flying along the pa

ill not be very angry with you," said Adelaide. (S

ng to be angry f

aid Kate, with a sigh; "but, oh! I hope sh

claimed Adelaide; "

papa did not," said Kate, who was not ve

elaide. "When Papa told us about you, she

he light in Kate's eye, and the responsive face, drew Grace on to as

se not; but she was very cros

s having business with Lady Barbara; but his letter said, 'It wasn't at all slow at Lady Barbar

y glad that the maid came in with hot water and towe

her pains, it was very strange that Katharine should be so utterly unfit to behave like a well-bred

how she took her out f

h Ernest's foolish school-boy account of her, which a more maidenly little girl would not have relished; she was strengthened in her notion that she was ill-used, by hearing

old her sister "that Katharine was perfectly hard and