II + 

I + 

Winnie the nursemaid was going away. It all happened very suddenly. The other servants whispered together. Winnie cried. She cried and cried. Nurse gave her what she called a Talking To and after that Winnie cried more than ever. There was something terrible about Nurse; she seemed larger than usual and she crackled more. Winnie, Vernon knew, was going away because of Father. He accepted that fact without any particular interest or curiosity. Nursemaids did sometimes go away because of Father. + 

His mother was shut in her room. She too was crying. Vernon could hear her through the door. She did not send for him and it did not occur to him to go to her. Indeed he was vaguely relieved. He hated the noise of crying, the gulping sound, the long-drawn sniffs, and it always happened so close to your ears. People who were crying always hugged you. Vernon hated those kind of noises close to his ears. There was nothing in the world he hated more than the wrong sort of noise. It made you feel all curled up like a leaf in your middle. That was the jolly part about Mr.┬аGreen. He never made the wrong kind of noise. + 

Winnie was packing her boxes. Nurse was in with herтБатАФa less awful Nurse nowтБатАФalmost a human Nurse. + 

тАЬNow you let this be a warning to you, my girl,тАЭ said Nurse. тАЬNo carryings on in your next place.тАЭ + 

Winnie sniffed something about no real harm. + 

тАЬAnd no more there wouldnтАЩt be, I should hope, with Me in charge,тАЭ said Nurse. тАЬA lot comes, I dare say, of having red hair. Red-haired girls are always flighty, so my dear mother used to say. IтАЩm not saying youтАЩre a bad girl. But what youтАЩve done is Unbecoming. UnbecomingтБатАФI canтАЩt say more than that.тАЭ + 

And, as Vernon had often noticed after using this particular phrase, she proceeded to say a good deal more. But he did not listen, for he was pondering on the word тАЬunbecoming.тАЭ Becoming, he knew, was a thing you said about a hat. Where did a hat come in? + 

тАЬWhatтАЩs unbecoming, Nurse?тАЭ he asked later in the day. + 

Nurse, with her mouth full of pins, for she was cutting out a linen suit for Vernon, replied. + 

тАЬUnsuitable.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhatтАЩs unsuitable?тАЭ + 

тАЬLittle boys going on asking foolish questions,тАЭ said Nurse, with the deftness of a long professional career behind her. + 

II + 

That afternoon VernonтАЩs father came into the nursery. There was a queer furtive look about himтБатАФunhappy and defiant. He winced slightly before VernonтАЩs round interested gaze. + 

тАЬHullo, Vernon.тАЭ + 

тАЬHullo, Father.тАЭ + 

тАЬIтАЩm going to London. Goodbye, old chap.тАЭ + 

тАЬAre you going to London because you kissed Winnie?тАЭ inquired Vernon with interest. + 

His father uttered the kind of word that Vernon knew he was not supposed to hearтБатАФmuch less ever repeat. It was, he knew, a word that gentlemen used but little boys didnтАЩt. 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. + 

тАЬWho the devil told you that?тАЭ + 

тАЬNobody told me,тАЭ said Vernon after reflecting a minute. + 

тАЬThen how did you know?тАЭ + 

тАЬDidnтАЩt you, then?тАЭ inquired Vernon. + 

His father crossed the room without answering. + 

тАЬWinnie kisses me sometimes,тАЭ remarked Vernon. тАЬBut I didnтАЩt like it much. I have to kiss her too. The gardener kisses her a lot. He seems to like it. I think kissingтАЩs silly. Should I like kissing Winnie better if I was grown up, Father?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes,тАЭ he said deliberately. тАЬI think you would. Sons, you know, sometimes grow up very like their fathers.тАЭ + 

тАЬIтАЩd like to be like you,тАЭ said Vernon. тАЬYouтАЩre a jolly good rider. Sam said so. He said there wasnтАЩt your equal in the county and that a better judge of horse flesh never lived.тАЭ Vernon brought out the latter words rapidly. тАЬIтАЩd rather be like you than Mummy. Mummy gives a horse a sore back. Sam said so.тАЭ + 

There was a further pause. + 

тАЬMummyтАЩs gotaheadacheanlyingdown,тАЭ proceeded Vernon. + 

тАЬI know.тАЭ + 

тАЬHave you said goodbye to her?тАЭ + 

тАЬNo.тАЭ + 

тАЬAre you going to? Because youтАЩll have to be quick. ThatтАЩs the dogcart coming round now.тАЭ + 

тАЬI expect I shanтАЩt have time.тАЭ + 

Vernon nodded wisely. + 

тАЬI dare say that would be a good plan. I donтАЩt like having to kiss people when theyтАЩre crying. I donтАЩt like Mummy kissing me much anyway. She squeezes too hard and she talks in your ear. I think IтАЩd almost rather kiss Winnie. Which would you, Father?тАЭ + 

He was disconcerted by his fatherтАЩs 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. + 

III + 

There was a sudden interruption. His mother stood in the doorway. Her eyes were swollen with crying. She dabbed them with a handkerchief. She stood there theatrically miserable. + 

тАЬHeтАЩs gone,тАЭ she cried. тАЬWithout a word to me. Without a word. Oh! my little son. My little son.тАЭ + 

She swept across the floor and gathered Vernon in her arms. The tower, at least one storey higher than any he had ever built before, crashed into ruins. His motherтАЩs voice, loud and distraught, burrowed into his ear. + 

тАЬMy childтБатАФmy little sonтБатАФswear that youтАЩll never forsake me. Swear itтБатАФswear it.тАЭ + 

Nurse came across to them. + 

тАЬThere, maтАЩam, there, maтАЩam, donтАЩt take on so. YouтАЩd better get back to bed. Edith shall bring you a nice cup of hot tea.тАЭ + 

Her tone was authoritativeтБатАФsevere. + 

His mother still sobbed and clasped him closer. VernonтАЩs whole body began to stiffen in resistance. He could bear it a little while longerтБатАФa very little while longerтБатАФand heтАЩd do anything Mummy wanted if only sheтАЩd let go of him. + 

тАЬYou must make up to me, VernonтБатАФmake up to me for the suffering your father has caused me. Oh! my God, what shall I do?тАЭ + 

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Vernon was aware of Katie, silent, ecstatic, enjoying the scene. + 

тАЬCome along, maтАЩam,тАЭ said Nurse. тАЬYouтАЩll only upset the child.тАЭ + 

The authority in her voice was so marked this time that VernonтАЩs mother succumbed to it. Leaning weakly on NurseтАЩs arm, she allowed herself to be led from the room. + 

Nurse returned a few minutes later very red in the face. + 

тАЬMy,тАЭ said Katie, тАЬdidnтАЩt she take on? Regular hystericsтБатАФthatтАЩs what they call it! Well, this has been a to-do! You donтАЩt think sheтАЩll do a mischief to herself, do you? Those nasty ponds in the garden. The Master is a oneтБатАФnot that he hasnтАЩt a lot to put up with from Her. All them scenes and tantrumsтБатАФтАЭ + 

тАЬThatтАЩll do, my girl,тАЭ said Nurse. тАЬYou can get back to your work, and under-servants discussing a matter of this kind with their betters is a thing that IтАЩve never known take place in a gentlemanтАЩs house. Your mother ought to have trained you better.тАЭ + 

With a toss of her head, Katie withdrew. Nurse moved round the nursery table, shifting cups and plates with unwonted sharpness. Her lips moved, muttering to herself. + 

тАЬPutting ideas into the childтАЩs head. IтАЩve no patience with itтБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 