She knew she could
not interfere effectually then, and wisely forbore to make too many
enquiries. Her time, if ever it was to come, would be when the children
were no longer living under the same roof as their parents. It ended in
her making up her mind to have nothing to do with either Joey or
Charlotte, but to see so much of Ernest as should enable her to form an
opinion about his disposition and abilities.
He had now been a year and a half at Roughborough and was nearly fourteen
years old, so that his character had begun to shape. His aunt had not
seen him for some little time and, thinking that if she was to exploit
him she could do so now perhaps better than at any other time, she
resolved to go down to Roughborough on some pretext which should be good
enough for Theobald, and to take stock of her nephew under circumstances
in which she could get him for some few hours to herself. Accordingly in
August 1849, when Ernest was just entering on his fourth half year a cab
drove up to Dr Skinner's door with Miss Pontifex, who asked and obtained
leave for Ernest to come and dine with her at the Swan Hotel. She had
written to Ernest to say she was coming and he was of course on the look-
out for her.
Pages:
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238