The visitor regarded Dinah's face and admitted it was so.
"Wonderful," he said. "I never should have thought that ugly gash would have cleared up so well."
"Nature's on the side of the young," replied Benjamin. "She spoils 'em you may say. Not that anything could spoil Dinah."
"You can, and you do," she said.
"Oh, no. 'Tis the other way round. You'd keep me in cotton wool if you could. I'm feared of my life for Johnny that you'll make him soft."
"And tell him he's not to go out and fight the poachers by night, and silly things like that," added Jane.
"More likely offer to go out and help him fight 'em," said Maynard, and Ben applauded.
"That's right! You know her better than Jane do seemingly. Dinah won't stand between John and his duty—that's certain sure."
"No woman will ever come between my son and his duty," said Faith. "There's some young men be born with a sense of duty, and some gets it by their training and some, of course, never do. But John was doing his duty when he was five year old—came natural to him."
"And what's the duty of a five year old, ma'am?" asked Lawrence. He found himself easy and comfortable with the Bamseys.