In Mary Ann there was a certain affected simper, and a craving for notice, that I was sorry to observe.

But her brother claimed all my attention to himself; he stood bolt upright between me and the fire, with his hands behind his back, talking away like an orator, occasionally interrupting his discourse with a sharp reproof to his sisters when they made too much noise.
'Oh, Tom, what a darling you are!' exclaimed his mother.

'Come and kiss dear mamma; and then won't you show Miss Grey your schoolroom, and your nice new books ?' 'I won't kiss _you_, mamma; but I _will_ show Miss Grey my schoolroom, and my new books.' 'And _my_ schoolroom, and _my_ new books, Tom,' said Mary Ann.

'They're mine too.' 'They're _mine_,' replied he decisively.

'Come along, Miss Grey--I'll escort you.' When the room and books had been shown, with some bickerings between the brother and sister that I did my utmost to appease or mitigate, Mary Ann brought me her doll, and began to be very loquacious on the subject of its fine clothes, its bed, its chest of drawers, and other appurtenances; but Tom told her to hold her clamour, that Miss Grey might see his rocking-horse, which, with a most important bustle, he dragged forth from its corner into the middle of the room, loudly calling on me to attend to it.