Ernescliffe had been so kind. Mary, you must see how clever she is.
Leonard is teaching her to play on the piano.'

'I congratulate you,' quietly said Tom; and somehow Ethel felt that
those three words were a satire on her 'capable of great things;'
while Leonard drew up, and Averil coloured, deferring the exhibition
of Mab's accomplishments till 'another time,' evidently meaning out
of Tom's presence.

'Aubrey is gone to the Grange with papa,' Ethel said, glad to lead
away from Mab.

'He told me he was going,' said Leonard, 'but he said you would be at
home.'

Ethel knew that the intonation of that 'you' had curled Tom's lip
with mischief, and dreading that Leonard should discover and resent
his mood, she said, 'We think one of your sea eggs has got among
ours; will you come to the schoolroom and see?'

And leaving Tom to tease and be bored by the young ladies, she led
the way to the schoolroom, where Aubrey's fossils, each in its
private twist of paper, lay in confusion on the floor, whence they
were in course of being transferred to the shelf of a cupboard.

Leonard looked at the disorder with astonished admiration.

'Yes,' said Ethel, 'it is a great mess, but they are to have a
regular cabinet, when Richard has time, or Aubrey has money, two
equally unlikely chances.'