"Well," said Edith, whose two plaits had melted into one, with a large black bow fastened irrelevantly to the wrong end of it, "you don't want her to be just a girl, do you?"
Valeria blushed, and said: "I have often thought I should like her to be a genius."
Edith nodded approval, and Mrs. Avory looked dubiously at the little figure, now discreetly dragging the tablecloth down in an attempt to reach the crackers. Nancy noted the soft look, and sidled round to her grandmother.
"Hold my ears," she said, "and give me a cwacker."
Mrs. Avory patted the small head, and smoothed out the blue ribbon that tied up the tuft of black curls.
"Why do you want me to hold your ears?"
"Because I am afwaid of the cwackers."
"Then why do you want the crackers?"
"Because I like them."