Her father was reading and he greeted Lily in a grave, depressed way, and told her to look at a picture-book.
They sat in silence for what seemed a very long time.
Lily only spoke once, and then she said quite suddenly:
"Father, please, what is a tumour?"
Philip cast a startled look at her, that added to the effect of rebuke in his shocked reply:
"Hush, hush, my child. That will do. You must not ask questions like that, you know."
Lily was conscious that he looked furtively and uneasily at her at intervals during the remainder of the evening.
"Shall I see Mother?" she asked wistfully when she went to bed.
"I will ask her to come and say good-night to you."
Waiting in bed for the redemption of this promise, Lily grew frightened again, and pictured Vonnie victimized by some terrible and magnified form of earache, wondering miserably why Lily had not come to play with her again, or at least to kiss her good-night.