"That is only his method of pushing the unwelcome fact away from him."
"Unwelcome," Bee murmured.
"Yes, unwelcome. And very naturally unwelcome. You make things difficult for yourself if you don't accept that fundamental fact. You remember Patrick with your adult mind, and are rejoiced that he is still alive." He turned his head to look at her. "Or-are you?"
"Of course I am!" she said, a shade too emphatically. But he let it go.
"Simon doesn't remember him with an adult mind or adult emotions. To Simon he is a remembered emotion; not a present one. He has no present love to fight his present-hatred with."
"Oh, George."
"Yes; it is best to face it. It would take an almost divine love to combat the resentment that Simon must be feeling now; and there has never been anything in the least divine about Simon. Poor Simon. It is a wretched thing to have happened to him."
"And at the very worst moment. When we were all ready for celebration."
"At least this is the answer to something that has puzzled me for eight years."
"What is that?"