I felt angry. Yet was it not quite true? But some people have a way of uttering truths which makes them distasteful.
“And the others?”
“Cress and Owen and Fred are at school.”
“Time Cress should be at work too!”
“Yes,” I said; “we are looking out for something that he can do. Poor Cress!”
“Poor!” she said sharply.
“He wanted so much to go to college.”
“Fudge! You have brought up your boys with ideas much too grand for their station in life, niece Marion.”
Now was this fair? Cress had ideas, certainly, which could not be carried out for lack of money; but none of the others had. I resented the words silently. Aunt Briscoe looked at me and laughed.
“You are like an old hen, my dear,” she said. “Always ready to cackle in defence of your chickens. Where are the little ones?”