herself as small as possible. Something inside her was crying “Woman, woman, let go of me.”
“Hullo, where is John?” he asked, suddenly missing the third bed.
“John is not here now?” she gasped.
“Is Michael asleep?” he asked, with a careless glance at Jane.
“Yes,” she answered; and now she felt that she was untrue to Jane as well as to Peter.
“That is not Michael,” she said quickly, lest a judgment should fall on her.
Peter looked. “Hullo, is it a new one?”
“Yes.”
“Boy or girl?”
“Girl.”
Now surely he would understand; but not a bit of it.
“Peter,” she said, faltering, “are you expecting me to fly away with you?”
“Of course; that is why I have come.” He added a little sternly, “Have you forgotten that this is spring-cleaning time?”
She knew it was useless to say that he had let many spring-cleaning times pass.
