"Now I," interposed Edmund, who had looked on with astounded disapprobation at this display of sentiment, "I should loathe and abominate anyone who kissed me and I should try to forget it as soon as ever I could."
"So should I," Montagu agreed, "rather—but I suppose girls are different."
"Course they are," Herrick chimed in; "quite different and much better and more precious. Daddie says so."
This point of view did not appeal to the boys.
"I don't know about 'precious,'" Edmund said scornfully. "It depends what you mean by precious."
"I'm precious," Herrick explained, "very, very precious. That's why they were so afraid they'd lost me this morning, 'cause I'm so precious."
"I'm not," said Jane-Anne. "Female orphans never are so far as I can make out, but I'd like to be. Oh, it would be lovelly!"
Herrick had been staring hard at Jane-Anne for some minutes and at last could contain herself no longer.
"Why," she demanded, "do you wear such a funny hat? Do you like it?"
"Why d'you wear no hat at all?" Montagu interposed, vaguely aware that Herrick's question was not tactful.