Aunt Phœbe was so taken aback she could answer nothing.
“They just forgotten us,” said Peter and reflected. “They gone on and on.”
“Isn’t Nobby ever coming back either?” he asked, abruptly, displaying a devastating acceptance of the new situation.
“But who’s Nobby?”
“That’s Mr. Oswald Sydenham,” said Mary.
“He’s coming back quite soon,” said Aunt Phœbe. “He’s on his way now.”
“’Cos he promised me a lion skin,” said Peter.
§ 6
Aunts Phyllis and Phœbe found themselves two of the four guardians appointed under Arthur’s will.
It had been one of Arthur’s occasional lapses into deceit that he destroyed the will which made Oswald the sole guardian of Joan—so far as he could dispose of Joan—and Peter, without saying a word about it to Dolly. He had vacillated between various substitutes for Oswald up to the very moment when he named the four upon whom he decided finally, to his solicitor. Some streak of jealousy or pride, combined with a doubt whether Oswald would now consent to act, had first prompted the alteration. Instead he had decided to shift the responsibility to his sisters. Then a twinge of compunction had made him replace Oswald. Then feeling that Oswald might still be out talked or out voted by his sisters, he had stuck in the name of Dolly’s wealthy and important cousin, Lady Charlotte Sydenham. He had only seen her twice, but she had seemed a lady of considerable importance and strength of character. Anyhow it made things fairer to the Sydenham side.