"Losh!" ejaculated Narcissus, as Captain Barker pounced on the youngster and haled him off to the tulip-bed. The interrogatory was stayed for a while.
Captain Runacles, who had caught every word, strode half a dozen times up and down his grass-plot: then summoned Simeon.
"Tell nurse to send Miss Sophia down to me."
Five minutes later a small child of seven appeared in the doorway, and, after hesitating there for a moment, stepped timidly across the turf. Her figure and movements were ungainly and her complexion appeared unnaturally sallow against a dark grey frock. A wet brush, applied two minutes before with inconsiderate zeal, had taken all the curl out of her dark hair and smoothed it in preposterous bands on either side of her brow. Her arms hung stiff and perpendicular, and she fidgeted with her short skirt as she advanced.
Captain Runacles stopped short in his walk and surveyed her.
"H'm," he said. "Don't shuffle."
The little girl looked up, dropped her eyes again quickly, and let her hands hang limp beside her. She was shaking from head to foot.
"You are a girl."
"Pardon, father," she mumbled in a low whisper.
"Next door there lives a small boy. You are in the habit of putting out your tongue at him. Why?"