of the inevitable spoiling which an only brother at home receives.  Georgiana was very strongly attached to him; and though Harriett had always said that she preferred Stanley, yet, when he came back, with his uncongenial wife and large family of young children to engross nine-tenths of his heart, her partiality for him seemed to fade away, and she felt that Vivian was far better than the other—­at least, more clever and more English in his ideas; but Stanley was more liberal, and had a better temper.  Vivian had fits of bad temper which no one could conquer, and his sisters found it was the only plan to let him alone.

Vivian would never think of falling in love with his brother’s governess—­he knew his own position too well for that:  so that his sisters had no fear of his being in any danger when Jane joined him in his experiments in the laboratory, or went out with him and the children geologising.  And they were perfectly right in that surmise.  He liked Jane because he felt her to be a perfectly safe person—­just a little more interesting than a companion of his own sex, and one to place rather more confidence in, for she had more sympathy and more enthusiasm; but she had excellent sense, and did not appear to be at all impressible.

Jane described the beautiful country walks she took, which she was sure Francis or Elsie would appreciate far better than she could do.  She contrasted the activity and full life of the gentlemen of the house with the languid idleness of Mrs. Phillips and the busy idleness of her sisters-in-law, and thought it very unjust that all the work of the world should be done by the one sex and so little left for the other.  She had thought the Misses Phillips superior to the Swinton young ladies at first; but on closer acquaintance, she found it quite as difficult to grow intimate with them.  She thought she would prefer the High Church, and almost Puseyite, tendencies of the English women to the narrow and gloomy views of her Scotch neighbours; but her independent turn of mind, her eager love of inquiry and her thirst for truth, were as much cramped by the one as the other.

An enormous part of the Misses Phillips’ lives was occupied in visiting and receiving visitors.  Their superintendence of their father’s household was very different from what had been expected from Jane and Elsie at Cross Hall.  They had old and faithful servants, who knew their work and did it, and rarely troubled their mistresses for orders.  They did not take the same interest or trouble about the poor which the Misses Melville had done.  If Dr. Phillips mentioned any case of distress, the cook was directed to send broth, or wine, or they might even give a little money; but there was no personal inconvenience suffered or sacrifice made for the relief of want or the comforting of sorrow.  The charity was given with the smallest amount of sympathy, and accepted with the smallest amount of gratitude.