It was even inconvenient, embarrassing to her--Mrs.Fyne.

After breakfast Flora would go off by herself for a long walk and Captain Anthony (Mrs.Fyne referred to him at times also as Roderick) joined the children.

But he was actually too shy to get on terms with his own nieces.
This would have sounded pathetic if I hadn't known the Fyne children who were at the same time solemn and malicious, and nursed a secret contempt for all the world.

No one could get on terms with those fresh and comely young monsters! They just tolerated their parents and seemed to have a sort of mocking understanding among themselves against all outsiders, yet with no visible affection for each other.

They had the habit of exchanging derisive glances which to a shy man must have been very trying.