She ran away groaning. Presently she came back.
"You see this never happened formerly," she explained.
"Nor this," he quietly remarked, making a wide circle with his long hand: in the corners of the room boards and boxes were heaped up; everything was in confusion; there were piles of wood on the carpenter's and turner's benches which stood against the wall.
"Why have you brought in all this rubbish?" she asked, looking doubtfully and squeamishly around.
"You will see."
He had begun to build, he had made a little rabbit hutch and a dog kennel. He was planning a rat-trap. His sister followed his work with interest and at table spoke proudly to his mother and father about it. His father, nodding his head approvingly, said:
"Everything springs from small beginnings and everything begins like that."
And his mother, embracing her, said to her son:
"You don't realise how much you owe to her care of you."
"Yes, I do," replied the hunchback.