There was another
scurry to change shoes and wash hands, and then Mysie conducted her
cousin into a large, cheerful, wainscoted room on the ground floor,
with deep windows, and numerous little, solid-looking deal tables.
There were Lady Merrifield and a young lady in spectacles, to whom
Dolores was presented as 'your new pupil,' and every one sat down at
one of the little tables, on which there were Bibles and Prayer-books.
Lady Merrifield took the two youngest on each side of her. Dolores
found a table ready for her with the books. A passage in the New
Testament was given out and read verse by verse, to the end of the
subject, which was the Parable of the Tares, and then Lady Merrifield
gave a short lesson on it, asking questions, and causing references to
be found, according to a book of notes, she had ready at hand.
'Just like a charity school,' thought Dolores, when she was able to
glance at the time-table, and saw that two days in the week there was
Old Testament, two days New, one day Catechism, one day Prayer-book.
Only half an hour was thus appropriated, but to her mind it was an old-
fashioned waste of time, and very tiresome.
Then came a ring at the door-bell. 'Mr. Poulter,' she heard, and to
her amazement, she found that Gillian and Mysie, as well as their
brothers, had Latin lessons in the dining-room with the curate. The
two girls and Fergus only went to him every other day, Wilfred every
day, as Gillian was learning Greek and mathematics.
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