‘I know now,’ she said, the rosy glow mantling in her cheek; ’it must have been Mr. O’More.’

‘Ah! has he been with you?’ said her father.

‘Only once,’ said Sophy, her colour deepening; ’but Maurice has been in a great hurry every day to go to him, and I saw there was some secret.  One day, Susan asked me to prevent Master Maurice from teaching baby such ugly words, that she could not sleep—­not bad words, but she thought they were Latin.  So I watched, and I heard Maurice singing out some of the legend of Hiawatha, and insisting on poor little Awkey telling him what m-i-s-h-e-n-a-h-m-a, spelt.  Poor little Awk stared, as well she might, and obediently made the utmost efforts to say after him, Mishenahma, king of fishes, but he was terribly discomposed at getting nothing but Niffey-ninny, king of fithes.  I went to her rescue, and asked what they were about; but Maurice thundered down on me all the Delawares and Mohawks, and the Choctaws and Cameches; and baby squeaked after him as well as she could, till I fairly stopped my ears.  I thought Ulick must be reading the legend to him.  Now I see he must have been teaching him to read it.’

‘Can it be possible?’ said Mr. Kendal.  ’He could not read words of five letters without spelling.’

’He always could do much more when he pleased than when he did not please,’ said Albinia.  ’I believe the impulse to use his understanding was all that was wanting, and I am very glad the impulse came from such a motive.’

Mr. Kendal ordained that Maurice’s reward should be learning Latin from himself, a perilous trial; but it proved that Mr. Kendal was really a good teacher for a child of spirit and courage, and Maurice had early come to the age when boys do better with man than with woman.  He liked the honour and the awe of papa’s tutorship, and learnt so well, that his father never believed in his past dunceship; but over studies that he did not deem sufficiently masculine, he could be as troublesome as ever, his attention absent, and his restlessness most wearisome.  To an ordinary eye, he was little changed; but his mother felt that the great victory of the will had been gained, and that his self was endeavouring to get the better of the spirit of insubordination and mischief.  Night after night she found him sleeping with the Balaklava sword by his side, and his hand clasped over it; and he always crept out of the way of Crimean news, though that he gathered up the facts was plain when he committed his sovereign to Ulick, with a request that it might be devoted to the comforts preparing to be sent to the 25th Lancers.