Charlotte opened her eyes very wide.
“Would you be dreffly angry?”
“Yes, and very unhappy. I shouldn’t let you come to see me any more.”
At that Miss Charlotte flung her arms round his neck, protesting she wasn’t naughty and Uncle Aymer must love her. Peace was at last restored and Aymer drew pictures of innumerable mice carrying off golden pennies and only sent the children away when Christopher came in.
He gave no hint to Christopher that he had solved the problem of the lost money and discovered the boy’s own compromise between truth and dishonesty. He was anxious to see whether Christopher’s moral standard was really satisfied with the same compromise or not. So he treated him as far as he could in his natural manner during the next few days, but found it a little difficult. Fond of Christopher as he was, this was just one of those points where the enormous difference between the child of one’s own self,—of self plus the unknown—and the adopted child of others, became visible. The fault was so inexplicable to Aymer, so utterly foreign to his whole understanding, that he had nothing but contempt for it, whereas, had Christopher been his own son, love would have overridden contempt with fear.
Christopher, with his uncanny, quick intuition of Aymer’s innermost mind, was not deceived by his ordinary 79 casual manner, and became, to Aymer’s secret satisfaction, a little suppressed and thoughtful.
It was at this point the boy had his first introduction to poor little Patricia’s temper.
The two children had been riding and returned home by way of the brook over which their ambitious dreams had already built a bridge. Patricia, who was in rather a petulant mood, reproached Christopher rather sharply for having got rid of his last month’s pocket money so prematurely. “Just like a boy,” she said, wrinkling her nose contemptuously. She had five whole shillings left of her money and when Christopher could double that they were to go to the brick-yard and bargain.
“Haven’t you any at all?” she questioned impatiently.
Christopher, who was examining the proposed site, did not answer at once, and she repeated her question.