Noreen ran to Peter and hugged him.
“You old grifferty-giff!” she whispered, falling into her absurd jargon, “just gifferting.”
Then she went back to her mother and said impishly:
“I know! You don’t want me to see my father!” Then, pointing a finger at Mary-Clare, she demanded: “Why didn’t you pick a nice father for me when you were picking?”
The irrelevancy of the question only added to its staggering effect. Mary-Clare looked hopelessly at her child.
“I didn’t have any choice, Noreen,” she said.
“You mean God gave him to you?”
“See here, Noreen”––Polly Heathcote rose to the call––“stop pestering your mother with silly talk. Come along with me, we’ll make a mess of taffy.”
“All right!” Noreen turned joyously to this suggestion, but paused to add: “If God gave my father to us, I s’pose we must make the best of it. God knows what He is doing––Jan-an says He even knew what He was doing when He nearly spoiled her.”
With this, Aunt Polly dragged Noreen away and Mary-Clare left the house haunted by what Noreen had said. Children can weave themselves into the scheme of life in a vivid manner, and this Noreen had done. In her dealings with Larry, Mary-Clare knew she must not overlook Noreen.