The prospect of Alethea seeing much of Ernest was a serious matter.
Christina smelt mischief from afar, as indeed she often did. Alethea was
worldly--as worldly, that is to say, as a sister of Theobald's could be.
In her letter to Theobald she had said she knew how much of his and
Christina's thoughts were taken up with anxiety for the boy's welfare.
Alethea had thought this handsome enough, but Christina had wanted
something better and stronger. "How can she know how much we think of
our darling?" she had exclaimed, when Theobald showed her his sister's
letter. "I think, my dear, Alethea would understand these things better
if she had children of her own." The least that would have satisfied
Christina was to have been told that there never yet had been any parents
comparable to Theobald and herself. She did not feel easy that an
alliance of some kind would not grow up between aunt and nephew, and
neither she nor Theobald wanted Ernest to have any allies. Joey and
Charlotte were quite as many allies as were good for him. After all,
however, if Alethea chose to go and live at Roughborough, they could not
well stop her, and must make the best of it.
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