“Seems to run in the family,” said Tom.
“You can go if you care to,” she said, “only you’re not going to have anything to do with the arrangements. Mother’s got Rosleigh, you’ve got Wilfred—you said so. And Auntie Sally belongs to me and you’ll be kind enough not to—findings is keepings, that’s what you said yourself.”
“Don’t you let him fool you, Arden,” said Wilfred. “All the time he was kind of fixing it so you’d say we’d have Aunt Sally to live with us.”
“Do you believe that?” Tom demanded.
“I’d believe anything of you,” said Arden. “I know one thing and that is that I’m going to manage about Auntie Sally—I think that name is just adorable! And I’m going to hike over the mountain—now—to Shady Vale. Oh, I think it’s just like a movie play, isn’t it, mother? If you want to accompany me, Tom, you’re welcome. But you needn’t go—if you’re afraid.”
He wasn’t exactly afraid; he was a great hero, Tom was.