She moved to go in again.
‘Stop here when I tell you, and mind him,’ he said in an unpardonable voice.
Dot gave him a surprised look.
‘You forget yourself, Larrie,’ she said quietly.
She went in and her fingers wandered into the quiet, calm music of one of Mendelssohn’s gondola songs. But she took it in rather hurried time. Larrie disturbed her when he had this mood on. He came behind her and lifted her hands off the keyboard.
‘Go and mind the child this minute.’ The flame in his eyes showed itself instantly in hers.
‘How dare you speak to me like that!’ she said.
‘Go and mind the child,’ said Larrie.
Dot crashed a passionate chord on the piano, she lifted her right hand for a brilliant run. But Larrie picked her up in his arms and put her outside on the verandah near the hammock. Then he went in and closed the drawing-room door behind him.
[p 32]
]By the time she had flown round through the dining-room he was locking the piano.