“Are you troubled?”
“Yes, of course. How should I be other than troubled?”
“But why?”
“Why? Jack has behaved like a selfish, thoughtless—”
“No; he is not at bottom selfish. Thoughtless—yes; and he has the vices of his virtues. He is so bold, and so resolute in action—so enjoys the peril he creates. Can’t you see what such a character wants? You may rest assured, my dear Archie, that he is quite enough punished.”
“He is incidentally punished.”
“But—”
“I don’t want to hear any more, Anne. He has behaved like a blackguard.”
“No.”
“Confound the women!” he said, and walked away; but in an hour was at the shore to meet Jack, who landed a little dismayed, his grunting cub still expostulating in the only language known to juvenile bears.