"It is a pity you do not always remember that. If you did, perhaps you would learn to be less deceptive, and more truthful."
A dead silence followed this speech. Celia looked at Joy quickly, her blue eyes full of alarm; but Joy uttered no word, only sat perfectly still with her cheeks, which had been so flushed a minute before, as white as the table cloth. It was Eric who at length burst into an indignant protest.
"What a shame of you to speak to her like that, Uncle Jasper!" he cried. "If you think Joy is not truthful you are very much mistaken."
"Eric, that is not the way to address me," Sir Jasper told the boy, severely. "And you do not know what you are talking about. Joy is perfectly well aware to what I refer."
"And I know to what you refer!" Eric declared. "Mother told me all about it. Joy knew nothing about that nasty novel, I'm certain she didn't. She never told you a story, Uncle Jasper. She's as true as steel. Speak up, Joy, and tell Uncle Jasper he's mistaken."
Joy raised her eyes, and turned them slowly from her brother to Sir Jasper. "What use is it my telling Uncle Jasper that?" she asked, her voice full of pain; "he would only consider I was saying what was untrue. I told him I had never seen that novel before, but he did not believe me—he would not believe me now." She stood up, and pushed her chair back from the table, and without another word walked out of the room. Celia uttered a gasping cry, and bursting into tears, covered her face with her hands. Sir Jasper essayed to comfort her; but she only wept the more, whilst Eric looked at her in utter bewilderment.
"The storm has upset her," Sir Jasper said, as he glanced from Celia to her brother; "she is a very sensitive child—and, I think she troubles about her sister too."
"Why did you speak to her so harshly?" wailed Celia.
"There, there," said the old man, soothingly, "I promise I will not do so again but it aggravated me to hear her talk so—so piously. I dislike anything approaching hypocrisy."
"Joy is not a hypocrite," Eric declared, bluntly. "You are mistaken in her character altogether. She's heaps better and truer in every respect than either Celia or me, isn't she Celia? Why can't you speak up for Joy? Why don't you go and see what become of her, instead of whimpering like that?" he added, in exasperated tones.