"
"Yes, your Aunt Anne is a very sincere woman," Uncle Mathew answered
grimly.
He was angry and helpless. She seemed suddenly some one with whom it
was impossible to argue. He had intended to be pathetic, to paint
delightful pictures of uncle and niece sheltering snugly together
defended by their affection against a cold and hostile London. His
own eyes had filled with tears as he thought of it. What a hard,
cold-hearted girl she was! Nevertheless for the moment he abandoned
the subject.
That she should go and live with her aunts was not for Maggie in any
way a new idea. A number of years ago when she had been a little
girl of thirteen or fourteen years of age her father had had a most
violent quarrel with his sister Anne. Maggie had never known the
exact cause of this although even at that period she suspected that
it was in some way connected with money. She found afterwards that
her father had considered that certain pieces of furniture
bequeathed to the family by a defunct relation were his and not his
sister's. Miss Anne Cardinal, a lady of strong character, clung to
her sofa, cabinet, and porcelain, bowls, and successfully maintained
her right.
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