"Don't look so cross, Aunty," chided Barbara. "No one ever came here who was so easy to entertain."
"Humph," grunted Miriam, and went out.
Relief
But even Barbara sighed in relief when she was left alone. She understood some of Roger's difficulties of which he never spoke, and realised that the much-maligned "Bascom liver" could not be held responsible for all his discontent.
She wondered what Roger's father had been like, and did not wonder that he was unhappy, if his nature was in any way akin to his son's. But her mother? How could she have failed to appreciate the beautiful old father whom Barbara loved with all the passion and strength of her young heart!
The Secret
"He mustn't know," said Barbara to herself, for the hundredth time. "Father must never know."