When she had finished her breakfast, my aunt very deliberately leaned back in her chair, knitted her brows, folded her arms, and contemplated me at her leisure, with such a fixedness of attention that I was quite overpowered by embarrassment.

Not having as yet finished my own breakfast, I attempted to hide my confusion by proceeding with it; but my knife tumbled over my fork, my fork tripped up my knife, I chipped bits of bacon a surprising height into the air instead of cutting them for my own eating, and choked myself with my tea, which persisted in going the wrong way instead of the right one, until I gave in altogether, and sat blushing under my aunt's close scrutiny.
'Hallo!' said my aunt, after a long time.
I looked up, and met her sharp bright glance respectfully.
'I have written to him,' said my aunt.
'To-- ?' 'To your father-in-law,' said my aunt.

'I have sent him a letter that I'll trouble him to attend to, or he and I will fall out, I can tell him!' 'Does he know where I am, aunt ?' I inquired, alarmed.
'I have told him,' said my aunt, with a nod.
'Shall I--be--given up to him ?' I faltered.
'I don't know,' said my aunt.

'We shall see.' 'Oh! I can't think what I shall do,' I exclaimed, 'if I have to go back to Mr.Murdstone!' 'I don't know anything about it,' said my aunt, shaking her head.

'I can't say, I am sure.