She amused her, too, with Riflebury gossip, in which she was an adept.

She knew equally well how far she might venture with the Major; and the sleight-of-hand with which she threw needlework over a novel when Aunt Theresa came into the school-room was not more skilful than the way in which she turned the tail of a bit of scandal into a remark upon the weather as Uncle Buller opened the drawing-room door.
But Miss Perry was not skilful enough to win the Major's lasting favour.
He was always slow to interfere in domestic matters, but he was not unobservant.
"I'm sure you see a great deal more than one would think, Edward," Aunt Theresa would say; "although you are so wrapt up in insects and things." "The insects don't get into my eyes, my dear," said Major Buller.
"And hear too," Mrs.Buller continued.

"Mrs.O'Connor was saying only the other day that you often seem to hear of things before other people, though you do talk so little." "It is, perhaps, because I am not always talking that I do hear.

But Mrs.O'Connor is not likely to think of that," said the Major, rather severely.
He was neither blind nor deaf in reference to Miss Perry, and she was dismissed.

Aunt Theresa rather dreaded Mrs.Minchin's indignation in the matter, I believe; but needlessly, for Miss Perry and Mrs.Minchin quarrelled about this time, and Mrs.Minchin had then so much information to Miss Perry's disadvantage at her fingers' ends, that it seemed wonderful that she should ever have recommended her.
For some little time our education progressed in a very desultory fashion.