Lucy went, Sophy leant against the table like a post. Albinia
regretted that the first shot should have been fired for such a
cause, and sat perplexing herself whether it were worse to give way,
or to force the girls to read Holy Scripture in such a mood.

Lucy came flying down with the four books in her hands, and began
officiously opening them before her sister, and exhorting her not to
give way to sullenness--she ought to like to read the Bible--which of
course made Sophy look crosser. The desire to establish her
authority conquered the scruple about reverence. Albinia set them to
read, and suffered for it. Lucy road flippantly; Sophy in the
hoarse, dull, dogged voice of a naughty boy. She did not dare to
expostulate, lest she should exasperate the tempers that she had
roused.

'Never mind,' she thought, 'when the institution is fixed, they will
be more amenable.'

She tried a little examination afterwards, but not one answer was to
be extracted from Sophy, and Lucy knew far less than the first class
at Fairmead, and made her replies wide of the mark, with an air of
satisfaction that nearly overthrew the young step-mother's patience.

When Albinia took her Bible upstairs, she gave Sophy time to say what
Lucy reported instantly on her entrance.

'Dear me, mamma, here is Sophy declaring that you ought to be a
charity-schoolmistress. You wont be angry with her, but it is so
funny!'