Part 48 (2/2)
He brooded.
”And then you came, with your sweetness. And your little serious face--”
”_Is_ my face serious?”
”Very. To me. Other people may think you frivolous and amusing. I daresay you are amusing--to them.”
”I hope so.”
”You hope so because you want to hide your real self from them. But you can't hide it from me. I've seen it all the time, Barbara.”
”Are you sure?”
”Quite, quite sure.”
”I wish I knew what it looked like.”
”That's the beauty and charm of you, my dear, that you don't know.”
”What a nice waistcoat you've got on,” said Barbara.
He looked gratified. ”I'm glad you like it I put it on for your birthday.”
”You mean,” she said, ”my adoption day.”
He winced.
”It _is_ good,” she said, ”of you and f.a.n.n.y to adopt me. But it won't be for very long. And I want to earn my own living all the same.”
”I can't think of letting you do that.”
”I must. It won't make any difference to my adoption.”
He scowled. So repugnant to him was this subject that he judged it would be equally distasteful to Barbara.
”It was f.a.n.n.y's idea,” he said.
”I thought it would be.”
”You didn't expect me to have paternal feelings for you, Barbara?”
”I didn't _expect_ you to have any feelings at all.”
The wound made him start. ”My poor child, what a terrible thing for you to say.”
”Why terrible?”
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