Somebody said, "His sister."
Mark laughed out loud. You could have sworn he was enjoying himself.
But when he got home he said he hadn't enjoyed himself at all. And he had a headache the next day. It turned out that he hadn't wanted to go. He hated dancing. Mamma said he had only gone because he thought you'd like it and because he thought it would be good for you to dance like other people.
VI.
"Why are you always going to the Sutcliffes'?" Mark said suddenly.
"Because I like them."
They were coming down the fields from Greffington Edge in sight of the tennis court.
"You oughtn't to like them when they weren't nice to poor Papa. If Mamma doesn't want to know them you oughtn't to."
Mark, too. Mark saying what Mamma said. Her heart swelled and tightened.
She didn't answer him.
"Anyhow," he said, "you oughtn't to go about all over the place with old Sutcliffe." When he said "old Sutcliffe" his eyes were merry and insolent as they used to be. "What do you do it for?"