ult, so I was obliged to interfere.'

'Bosh!' said Charles. 'Who cares whether she smoked one or twenty? She
is Mrs. Brownlow still.'

The point is, what was truth?' said Laura.

'Straining at gnats,' said Charles.

'Little wings?' said Guy, glancing at Amabel.

'Have it your won way,' said Charles, throwing his head back; 'they must
be little souls, indeed that stick at such trash.'

Guy's brows were contracted with vexation, but Laura looked up very
prettily, saying--

'Never mind him. We must all honour you for doing such an unpleasant
thing.'

'You will recommend him favourably to Philip,' growled Charles.

There was no reply, and presently Guy asked whether he would go up to
dress? Having no other way of showing his displeasure, he refused, and
remained nursing his ill-humour, till he forgot how slight the offence
had been, and worked himself into a sort of insane desire--half
mischievous, half revengeful--to be as provoking as he could in his
turn.

Seldom had he been more contrary, as his old nurse was wont to call it.
No one could please him, and Guy was not allowed to do anything for him.
Whatever he said was intended to rub on some sore place in Guy's mind.
His mother and Laura's signs made him worse, for he had the pleasure of
teasing them, also; but Guy endured it all with perfect temper, and he
grew more cross at his failure; yet, from force of habit, at bed-time,
he found himself on the stairs with Guy's arm supporting him.

'Good night,' said Charles; 'I tried hard to poke up the lion to-night,
but I see it won't do.'

This plea of trying experiments was neither absolutely true nor false;
but it restored Charles to himself, by saving a confession that he
had been out of temper, and enabling him to treat with him wonted
indifference the expostulations of father, mother, and Laura.

Now that the idea of 'poking up the lion' had once occurred, it became
his great occupation to attempt it. He wanted to see some evidence of
the fiery temper, and it was a new sport to try to rouse it; one, too,
which had the greater relish, as it kept the rest of the family on
thorns.

He would argue against his real opinion, talk against his better sense,
take the wrong side, and say much that was very far from his true
sentiments. Guy could not understand at first, and was quite confounded
at some of the views he espoused, till Laura came to his help, greatly
irritating her brother by hints that he was not i