"The Lord Jesus wears his topee like this," he informed them pleasantly.
And, "O crumbs!" exclaimed Cyprian collapsing. "Yet another Infant Samuel!"
But his amusement was short-lived. John had a grievance and had come to report it.
"Mother," he said, "there was one tea-party in the Gardens and nobody didn't let me go to it."
"How do you mean, darling?"
"It was Jimbo's birthday this day. And I tooked him the red coal-truck what Po Sein did make me to-morrow. And I saw's Jimbo going to the party and his nurse saw'd me and didn't stop, and Jimbo runned back an' she was werry angry. An' he said he could not take the truck, 'cos his mother said he wasn't not to play with me any more. An' he said Derrick's mother said he wasn't not to play with me neither, an' then his nurse comed up and told Po Sein we couldn't come up that road 'cos it was Mrs. Grey's party and Jimbo must go away at once."
Ferlie turned to look blankly at Cyprian. The sins of the fathers...
For the first time in her life he swore thoroughly and completely in her presence, and without apologizing. Then he pushed back his chair and swung John up on his shoulder.
"We have no time to think of parties now, you and I. Don't you know that we are going away in the train? And I do believe you've not packed a thing."
But when the pair of them had vanished down the verandah, shouting, Ferlie knelt down beside the baby on the floor whence it was surveying her with the puzzled concentrated gaze of the man she worshipped.