“Mother?” he asked.
“Oh, yes. Mother was querulous, and so she wanted some one to be querulous to.”
“Couldn’t she be querulous to herself?” asked Colin.
“No, of course not. You must have a partner or a dummy if you’re being querulous. I wasn’t more than a dummy, and so when she had finished the rest of it she was querulous about that. She said I was unsympathetic.”
“Dummies usually are,” said Colin. “Cigarette?”
“No, thanks. This one was, because she wanted to come and bathe. Did you dive off the top step?”
“Of course not. No audience,” said Colin. “What’s the use of doing anything terrifying unless you impress somebody? I would have if you had come down.”
“I should have been thrilled. Oh, by the way, Raymond has just telephoned from town to say that he’ll be here by dinner-time. He’s motoring down.”
Colin considered this. “Raymond’s the only person older than myself whom I envy,” he said. “He’s half an hour older than me. Oh, I think I envy Aunt Hester, but then I adore Aunt Hester. I only hate Raymond.”
“Just because he’s half an hour older than you?” asked the girl.