“Well, that is not very exciting,” he said.
“More exciting perhaps than you think,” said Audry. “Mother was very cross, and Aline certainly had an exciting time.”
“Hush, Audry,” said Aline very softly.
“I shall not hush, Aline. I wish that mother would not act like that to you. Do you know,” she went on, “that whenever Aline made the stitches just the least little bit too big or turned down the hem the least bit too much or too little, she hit her. Aline, if I were you I would not stand it; I would tell my father.”
Ian half rose in his bed with anger and then fell back again. “There you see what you have done,” said Aline, as Ian went as white as the sheet. It was some moments before he was able to speak and the children watched him anxiously.
“What a shame,” he went on, in calmer tones.
“Well, we won’t talk about that now,” said Aline; “let us talk of something nicer. Master Mowbray is going to give me a falcon and I am going to ride like Audry.”
“I thought that I heard you say that you did not care about riding, little one,” he said.
“I do not know that I do particularly, but Master Mowbray wished it for the sake of Audry. I do not think he cared about me one way or the other. I thought that it might help us in several ways in feeding you.”