Nor would she have thought
about the subject at all if it had not been for the sore sense that she
was cut off from him, as she fancied, because he belonged to her
mother.
Nothing particular had happened that week. There had been no very
striking offences one way or the other; she was working better with her
lessons and understanding more of Miss Vincent's methods. She
perceived that they were thorough, and respected them accordingly, and
she had had the great satisfaction of getting more good marks for
French and German than Mysie. She had become interested in 'The Old
Oak Staircase,' and began to look forward to Aunt Lily's readings as
the best part of the day. But she had not drawn in the least nearer to
any of the family. She absolutely disliked, almost hated, the quarter
of an hour which Aunt Lily devoted to her religious teaching every
morning, though nobody was present, not even Primrose. She nearly
refused to learn, and said as badly as possible the very small portions
she was bidden to learn by heart, and she closed her mind up against
taking in the sense of the very short readings and her aunt's comments
on them. It seemed to her to be treating her like a Sunday-school
child, and insulting her mother, who had never troubled her in this
manner. Her aunt said no word of reproach, except to insist on
attention and accuracy of repetition; but there came to be an unusual
gravity and gentleness about her in these lessons, as if she were
keeping a guard over herself, and often a greatly disappointed look,
which exasperated Dolores much more than a scolding.
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