To detect which purpose was to be resolved on thwarting it. Nor, it
must be allowed, was Lance's management perfect. He wanted to make
himself a companion such as would content the boy instead of the
Nareses, but to cross the interval of amusement between sixteen and
ten required condescension, that could not but be perceived and
rejected, nor did he perceive that ridicule was an engine most fatal
in dealing with Bernard. Of course nothing like all this passed
through the boy's mind. Lance simply saw that his little brother was
getting into mischief, and tried to play with him to keep him out of
it, but was neither well nor happy enough to do so naturally, and
therefore did not succeed. Yet if he had abstained from showing
Bernard a picture in the style of Punch, of the real animal and no
mistake, and Bernard himself pointing to Felix and observing that the
governor didn't know what's what, he might have prevailed to prevent
the boy from eluding him and going to Mr. Sims' rat-hunt.
Of all this Felix: knew nothing. He still had much lee-way to make
up, in consequence of his absence, and the excitement in the town
told upon the business.
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