Giant’s Bread · Book I · II · Chapter 1 2 2

II

That afternoon Vernon’s father came into the nursery. There was a queer furtive look about him⁠—unhappy and defiant. He winced slightly before Vernon’s round interested gaze.

“Hullo, Vernon.”

“Hullo, Father.”

“I’m going to London. Goodbye, old chap.”

“Are you going to London because you kissed Winnie?” inquired Vernon with interest.

His father uttered the kind of word that Vernon knew he was not supposed to hear⁠—much less ever repeat. It was, he knew, a word that gentlemen used but little boys didn’t. So great a fascination did that fact lend it, that Vernon was in the habit of sending himself to sleep by repeating it over to himself in company with another forbidden word. The other word was Corsets.

“Who the devil told you that?”

“Nobody told me,” said Vernon after reflecting a minute.

“Then how did you know?”

“Didn’t you, then?” inquired Vernon.

His father crossed the room without answering.

“Winnie kisses me sometimes,” remarked Vernon. “But I didn’t like it much. I have to kiss her too. The gardener kisses her a lot. He seems to like it. I think kissing’s silly. Should I like kissing Winnie better if I was grown up, Father?”

“Yes,” he said deliberately. “I think you would. Sons, you know, sometimes grow up very like their fathers.”

“I’d like to be like you,” said Vernon. “You’re a jolly good rider. Sam said so. He said there wasn’t your equal in the county and that a better judge of horse flesh never lived.” Vernon brought out the latter words rapidly. “I’d rather be like you than Mummy. Mummy gives a horse a sore back. Sam said so.”

There was a further pause.

“Mummy’s gotaheadacheanlyingdown,” proceeded Vernon.

“I know.”

“Have you said goodbye to her?”

“No.”

“Are you going to? Because you’ll have to be quick. That’s the dogcart coming round now.”

“I expect I shan’t have time.”

Vernon nodded wisely.

“I dare say that would be a good plan. I don’t like having to kiss people when they’re crying. I don’t like Mummy kissing me much anyway. She squeezes too hard and she talks in your ear. I think I’d almost rather kiss Winnie. Which would you, Father?”

He was disconcerted by his father’s abrupt withdrawal from the room. Nurse had come in a moment before. She stood respectfully aside to let the Master pass, and Vernon had a vague idea that she had managed to make his father uncomfortable.

Katie, the under-housemaid, came in to lay tea. Vernon built bricks in the corner. The old peaceful nursery atmosphere closed round him again.