Part 33 (1/2)
”I'm sorry, Kitty. But perhaps----”
He could not hide anything from Kitty.
”No, Robert,” she said, ”I'm afraid there won't be any perhaps. That's one of the things I meant to tell you. But I'm not bothering about that.
I meant--if they were little--little things, I shouldn't be so dreadfully afraid of them.”
”Why? What do you think they'll do to you, Kitty?”
”I--don't--know.”
”You needn't be alarmed. I believe they're very well-behaved. Jane has brought them up quite nicely.”
”What is Jane going to do?”
”Ah--that's what I wanted to ask you about.”
”You needn't ask me. You want her to stay and look after them just the same?”
”No, not just the same. I want her to stay and she won't. She says it wouldn't be fair to you.”
”But--if she only would, that would make it all so easy. You see, I could look after you, and she could look after them.”
”You don't want to be bored with them?”
”You know that isn't what I mean. I don't want them to suffer.”
”Why _should_ they suffer?” There was some irritation in his tone.
”Because I don't think, Robert, I'm really fit to bring up children.”
”I think you are. And I don't mean anybody else to bring them up. If you're my wife, Kitty, you're their mother.”
”And they're to be mine as well as yours?”
”As much yours as you can make them, dear.”
”Oh, how you trust me. That's what makes me so afraid. And--do you think they'll really love me?”
”Trust _them_--for that.”
”You asked me if I could care for you, Robert; you never asked me if I could care for them. You trusted me for that!”
”I could have forgiven you if you couldn't care for _me_.”
”But you couldn't forgive me if I didn't care for them? Is that it?”
”No; I simply couldn't understand any woman not caring for them. I think you _will_ like the little things, when you've seen them.”
”I'll promise you one thing. I won't be jealous of them.”