Feeling that he had dealt with little Anne in a manner that was for her welfare, and regretting that his mother could not see this object lessen in the proper way to discipline her, Peter left the room and little Anne’s stricken face to go after gingerbread, in the consumption of which his adult manner was lost.
He was in his room when his mother returned. She called him to ask if he knew where Anne was.
He did not. He had been too busy to think about her, he said, appearing at the head of the stairs. He further guessed she was around. But she was not. Bibiana, the waitress, had not seen her since she gave her lunch. She admitted having thought that the child was not so hungry as she might have been.
Mrs. Berkley telephoned the mother of Monica, little Anne’s favourite playmate, but Anne was not with Monica. She called up other houses, but there was no news of the child.
Peter, listening to the telephoning with his bedroom door open, began to feel an uneasiness which he did not intend to betray to his mother. It was uncomfortable not to know where Anne was, remembering how sternly he had disciplined her for her confessed and repented fault, had refused to forgive her immediately or to seal the forgiveness with the kiss that she had implored.
Peter sauntered downstairs with a manner exaggeratedly casual, his cap on the back of his head.
“Oh, don’t go away, Peter!” cried his mother. “I am beginning to feel uneasy about Anne.”
“Oh, Anne’s all right!” Peter assured her. “I won’t be long. I thought maybe I’d make her hurry home; I thought you were getting worried by the way you were telephoning all over. I’ll tell her to hurry in and not worry you.”
“Oh, Peter, it sounds as though you did know where she was!” cried Mrs. Berkley.
“Not hard to guess,” said Peter, and slammed the door before his mother could ask what his guess was and he should have to confess to having in mind nowhere that she had not already interrogated. Once out of sight his nonchalance fell from him like the mask that it was. He pulled his cap down over his forehead and set out on a run. He made speed to find Anne Dallas, feeling that in some unforeseen way she could help him.