He threw himself down beside her. He had just finished a prodigious fortress, with earthworks and trenches extending to the sea.
"Kitty, Kitty," he said, "you're only a child yourself, like Janey. She's perfectly happy building castles in the sand—so are you. You're a perfect baby."
"We're all babies, Robert, building castles in the sand. And you're the biggest baby of the lot."
"I don't care. I've built the biggest castle."
"Look at Janet," said Kitty. "She'll be grown up before any of us."
The child sat on a rock with Jane. But, from the distance that she kept, she looked at her father and Kitty from time to time. All afternoon Janet had clung to Jane. But when bed-time came Robert took her aside and whispered something to her. Going home she walked by Kitty, and put her hand in hers.
"Daddy said I'm to be very kind to you."
"Did he? That's very kind of daddy."
"Daddy's always kind to people. Especially when they've not been very happy. Really and truly I'm going to be kind. But you won't mind if I don't love you very soon, will you?"
"Of course I won't. Only don't leave it too late, darling."