"Aren't girls funny, Uncle Alan?" said Christopher.
"Christopher," I answered, "girls are the very dickens. You can't
trust 'em. Never have anything to do with girls, my boy."
"I'm not going to," said Christopher.
This is what we said to each other afterwards. If either of us had
thought of it before---- But that's the usual way, of course.
* * * * *
Christopher and I were sitting by the fire. We were very peaceful and
happy together, pretending to look at a book but really doing nothing
at all.
Then Dorothy came into the room. Dorothy is Christopher's cousin and
six years old. Not that her age matters--six, sixteen or sixty, they
are all the same.
"What are you doing?" inquired Dorothy.
"Nothing," murmured Christopher contentedly.
"I wanted you to come and play with me."
Christopher shuffled uneasily and I came to the rescue.
"Not now, Dorothy," I said; "we are too comfortable. Come and have a
look at this book with us."
Dorothy looked at me as though she had just realised my presence.
"I want Christopher to come and play with me," she repeated.
Christopher has a fine old-fashioned idea of a host's duty to his
guests. He stifled a yawn and slid from my knee.
"All right, Dorothy," he said. "What shall we play?"
Dorothy skipped like a young lamb. "Hide and Seek," she sang. "I'll go
and hide. Don't look till I call."
She danced gaily and triumphantly out of the room.
Now I don't mind being snubbed and I certainly shouldn't trouble about
a spot of a child who ought to have been kept in the nursery. Of
course it's ridiculous even to begin explaining, isn't it? The thing's
obvious. No, I felt that Dorothy should be taught a lesson; that is
all. I thought it would be good for her.
"That settles Dorothy," I said deliberately. "Now we can go on
reading."
"But she wants me to go and look for her," explained Christopher.
"Then let her want," I said shortly. "We can't always
be---- Christopher, we'll have a game with Dorothy. We'll stop where we
are and let her look for herself."
Christopher chuckled. "She'll be awfully angry," he said uncertainly.
"Good!" said I.
"Cooee!" came a voice from the far-away. We laughed guiltily to
ourselves and settled down in the chair. The scheme proceeded
according to plan.
After sundry shrieks and screeches and whistles Dorothy grew impatient
and adopted bolder tactics.
"You can't find me," she called hopefully.