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Besides the old lady, there was another relative of the fareat annoyance to me--this was 'Uncle Robson,' Mrs Bloomfield's brother; a tall, self-sufficient felloith dark hair and sallow complexion like his sister, a nose that seerey eyes, frequently half-closed, with a mixture of real stupidity and affected contely-builthis waist into a reether with the unnatural stillness of his form, showed that the lofty-minded, manly Mr Robson, the scorner of the fened to notice me; and, when he did, it ith a certain supercilious insolence of tone and h it was intended to have a contrary effect But it was not for that I disliked his co all their evil propensities, and undoing in a few ood it had taken me months of labour to achieve
Fanny and little Harriet he seldo of a favourite He was continually encouraging her tendency to affectation (which I had doneabout her pretty face, and filling her head with allher personal appearance (which I had instructed her to regard as dust in the balance compared with the cultivation of her mind and manners); and I never saw a child so susceptible of flattery as she was Whatever rong, in either her or her brother, he would encourage by laughing at, if not by actually praising: people little know the injury they do to children by laughing at their faults, anda pleasant jest of what their true friends have endeavoured to teach theh not a positive drunkard, Mr Robson habitually sed great quantities of wine, and took with relish an occasional glass of brandy and water He taught his nephew to imitate him in this to the utmost of his ability, and to believe that the more wine and spirits he could take, and the better he liked them, the more he manifested his bold, and manly spirit, and rose superior to his sisters Mr Blooainst it, for his favourite beverage was gin and water; of which he took a considerable portion every day, by dint of constant sipping--and to that I chiefly attributed his dingy complexion and waspish temper