So we knew he wanted to be quiet, and the girls decided that we ought to play out of doors so as not to disturb him; we should have played out of doors anyhow on a jolly fine day like that.
But as we were going out Dicky said to Oswald—
‘I say, come along here a minute, will you?’
So Oswald came along, and Dicky took him into the other parlour and shut the door, and Oswald said—
‘Well, spit it out: what is it?’ He knows that is vulgar, and he would not have said it to anyone but his own brother. Dicky said—
‘It’s a pretty fair nuisance. I told you how it would be.’ And Oswald was patient with him, and said—
‘What is? Don’t be all day about it.’
Dicky fidgeted about a bit, and then he said—
‘Well, I did as I said. I looked about for something useful to do. And you know that dairy window that wouldn’t open—only a little bit like that? Well, I mended the catch with wire and whip cord and it opened wide.’
‘And I suppose they didn’t want it mended,’ said Oswald. He knew but too well that grown-up people sometimes like to keep things far different from what we would, and you catch it if you try to do otherwise.