In the old times, she had been noted in the family as the one member of it who lived on affectionate terms with Montbarry.

His other sister and his brothers were constantly quarrelling with him.

Even his mother owned that her eldest son was of all her children the child whom she least liked.
Sensible and resolute woman as she was, Mrs.Norbury shuddered with terror as she sat at the window of her room, watching the sunrise, and thinking of her dreams.
She made the first excuse that occurred to her, when her maid came in at the usual hour, and noticed how ill she looked.

The woman was of so superstitious a temperament that it would have been in the last degree indiscreet to trust her with the truth.

Mrs.Norbury merely remarked that she had not found the bed quite to her liking, on account of the large size of it.