Mrs Norton did not hear him, and Fanny hoped her ears had deceived her.
“My dear, why do you not lean on your left arm, as I have told you,” said Mrs Norton when Fanny was taking her writing lesson.
“My shoulder hurts me,” answered Fanny, “and, if you will excuse me, I will try and write without doing so.”
“There, now, she is going to tell her governess I threw the bat at her,” thought Norman.
Fanny particularly wished to avoid giving any reason why her shoulder hurt her, and when Mrs Norton asked what was the matter with her arm, she replied, that it was nothing very serious, she was sure, and hoped that it would soon be well.
Mrs Norton seeing that she did not wish to talk about it, forebore to question her on the subject.
As soon as her lessons were over, Fanny took her doll up to her room, and reintroduced her to Nancy. Norman who had followed her, watched her with an envious eye, as she made the two dolls talk to each other.
After she had played with them for some time, she put Miss Lucy on her bed, and she and Norman went down into the drawing-room.
Norman had not given up his evil intention of putting Miss Lucy out of the way. He forgot all his sweet sister’s forbearance, and loving-kindness towards him; and still allowed that terrible feeling of envy to rankle in his heart.
A few days before, Mrs Leslie and her daughter had received an invitation to pay a visit, with the children, to some friends in Scotland. Captain Vallery was unable to accompany them, being detained in London, but he expected shortly to follow. Fanny was delighted at the thought of visiting the Highlands, and seeing the beautiful lakes and streams, and mountains, she had heard so much of.