Humfrey's wood
was not to be preyed upon any more than in his own time. They were very
feminine explosions to be sure, but they had their effect, and Miss
Charlecote's was a real government.

The uproar with nurse came at last, through a chance discovery that she
had taken Owen to a certain forbidden house of gossip, where he had been
bribed to secrecy with bread and treacle.

Honora wrote to Mrs. Charteris for permission to dismiss the mischievous
woman, and obtained full consent, and the most complete expression of
confidence and gratitude. So there ensued a month, when every visit to
the nursery seemed to be spent in tears. Nurse was really very fond of
the children, and cried over them incessantly, only consoling herself by
auguring a brilliant future for them, when Master Owen should reign over
Hiltonbury, like the gentleman he was.

'But, nurse, Cousin Honor says I never shall--I'm to be a clergyman, like
papa. She says . . . '

Nurse winked knowingly at the housemaid. 'Yes, yes, my darling, no one
likes to hear who is to come after them. Don't you say nothing about it;
ain't becoming; but, by and by, see if it don't come so, and if my boy
ain't master here.'

'I wish I was, and then nursey would never go.'

However, nurse did go, and after some tears Owen was consoled by
promotion to the habits of an older boy.

Lucilla was very angry, and revenged herself by every variety of
opposition in her power, all which were put down by the strong hand. It
was a matter of necessity to keep a tight grasp on this little wilful
sprite, the most fiery morsel of engaging caprice and naughtiness that a
quiet spinster could well have lit upon. It really sometimes seemed to
Honora as if there were scarcely a fault in the range of possibilities
that she had not committed; and indeed a bit of good advice generally
seemed to act by contraries, and served to suggest mischief. Softness
and warmth of feeling seemed to have been lost with her father; she did
not show any particular affection towards her brother or Honora. Perhaps
she liked Miss Wells, but that might be only opposition; nay, Honor would
have been almost thankful if she had melted at the departure of the
undesirable nurse, but she appeared only hard and cross. If she liked
any one it was Robert Fulmort, but that was too much in the way of
flirtation.

Vanity was an extremely traceable spring of action. When nurse went,
Miss Lucilla gave the household