FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42  
43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   >>   >|  
o be taken" and her adorably pretty little face to be kissed. She was startlingly like her mother at the same age, with bobbing curls of feathery gold, beseeching blue eyes and a complexion delicately coloured as the pearly pink lining of certain shells. She was, moreover, chubby, sturdy and robust--quite unlike Tony, who looked nervous, bleached and delicate. Tony went and leant against his mother, regarding Jan and his small sister with dubious, questioning eyes. Presently he remarked, "I wish she hadn't come." "Oh, Tony," Fay exclaimed reproachfully, "you must both love Auntie Jan very dearly. She has come such a long way to be good to us all." "I wish she hadn't," Tony persisted. "_I_ sall love Auntie Dzan," Fay remarked, virtuously. It was pleasant to be cuddled by this friendly baby, and Jan laid her cheek against the fluffy golden head; but all the time she was watching Tony. He reminded her of someone, and she couldn't think who. He maintained his aloof and unfriendly attitude till Ayah came to take the children to their second breakfast. Little Fay, however, refused to budge, and when the meekly salaaming ayah attempted to take her, made her strong little body stiff, and screamed vigorously, clinging so firmly to her aunt that Jan had herself to carry the obstreperous baby to the nursery, where she left her lying on the floor, still yelling with all the strength of her evidently healthy lungs. When Jan returned, rather dishevelled--for her niece had seized a handful of her hair in the final struggle not to be put down--Fay said almost complacently, "You see, the dear little soul took a fancy to you at once. Tony is much more reserved and not nearly so friendly. He's very Scotch, is Tony." "He does what he's told, anyway." "Oh, not always," Fay said reassuringly, "only when he doesn't mind doing it. They've both got very strong wills." "So have I," said Jan. Fay sighed. "It was time you came to keep them in order. I can't." This was evident, for Fay had not attempted to interfere with her daughter beyond saying, "I expect she's hungry, that's why she's so fretty, poor dear." That afternoon Peter went to the flat and was shown as usual into the sitting-room. Jan and the children were in the verandah, all with their backs to the room, and did not notice his entrance as Jan was singing nursery-rhymes. Fay sat on her knee, cuddled close as though there were no such thing as tempers in
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42  
43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

children

 

mother

 

cuddled

 
friendly
 

Auntie

 

remarked

 

attempted

 

nursery

 
strong
 

evidently


tempers

 
healthy
 

strength

 
yelling
 

reserved

 

handful

 

struggle

 
seized
 

complacently

 

dishevelled


returned

 
expect
 

hungry

 

daughter

 

interfere

 

entrance

 
notice
 

evident

 
fretty
 

sitting


verandah

 

afternoon

 

reassuringly

 

singing

 
sighed
 
rhymes
 
Scotch
 

breakfast

 

nervous

 

looked


bleached

 

delicate

 
unlike
 

chubby

 

sturdy

 

robust

 
dearly
 

reproachfully

 

exclaimed

 

sister