III + 

When Vernon, later, was to look back upon his childhood, this one period was to stand out quite clearly from the rest. тАЬThe time I broke my legтАЭ marked a distinct era. + 

He was to appreciate, too, various small incidents that were accepted by him at the time as a matter of course. For instance, a rather stormy interview that took place between Dr.┬аColes and his mother. Naturally this did not take place in VernonтАЩs sick room, but MyraтАЩs raised voice penetrated closed doors. Vernon heard indignant exclamations of тАЬI donтАЩt know what you mean by upsetting him.тБатАКтБатАж I consider I ought to nurse my own child.тБатАКтБатАж Naturally I was distressedтБатАФIтАЩm not one of these people who simply have no heartтБатАФno heart at all. Look at WalterтБатАФnever turned a hair!тАЭ + 

There were many skirmishes, too, not to say pitched battles fought between Myra and Nurse Frances. In these cases Nurse Frances always won, but at a certain cost. Myra Deyre was wildly and furiously jealous of what she called тАЬthe paid nurse.тАЭ She was forced to submit to Dr.┬аColeтАЩs dictums, but she did so with a bad grace and with an overt rudeness that Nurse Frances never seemed to notice. + 

In after years Vernon remembered nothing of the pain and tedium that there must have been. He only remembered happy days of playing and talking as he had never played and talked before. For in Nurse Frances, he found a grown up who didnтАЩt think things тАЬfunnyтАЭ or тАЬquaint.тАЭ Somebody who listened sensibly and who made serious and sensible suggestions. To Nurse Frances he was able to speak of Poodle, Squirrel and Tree, and of Mr.┬аGreen and the hundred children. And instead of saying тАЬWhat a funny game!тАЭ Nurse Frances merely inquired whether the hundred children were girls or boysтБатАФan aspect of the matter which Vernon had never thought of before. But he and Nurse Frances decided that there were fifty of each, which seemed a very fair arrangement. + 

If sometimes, off his guard, he played his make-believe games aloud, Nurse Frances never seemed to notice or to think it unusual. She had the same calm comfortableness of old Nurse about her, but she had something that mattered far more to Vernon, the gift of answering questionsтБатАФand he knew, instinctively, that the answers were always true. Sometimes she would say: тАЬI donтАЩt know that myself,тАЭ or тАЬYou must ask someone else. IтАЩm not clever enough to tell you that.тАЭ There was no pretence of omniscience about her. + 

Sometimes, after tea, she would tell Vernon stories. The stories were never the same two days runningтБатАФone day they would be about naughty little boys and girls, and the next day they would be about enchanted princesses. Vernon liked the latter kind best. There was one in particular that he loved, about a princess in a tower with golden hair and a vagabond prince in a ragged green hat. The story ended up in a forest and it was possibly for that reason that Vernon liked it so much. + 

Sometimes there would be an extra listener. Myra used to come in and be with Vernon during the early afternoon when Nurse Frances had her time off, but VernonтАЩs father used sometimes to come in after tea when the stories were going on. Little by little it became a habit. Walter Deyre would sit in the shadows just behind Nurse FrancesтАЩ chair, and from there he would watch, not his child, but the storyteller. One day Vernon saw his fatherтАЩs hand steal out and close gently over Nurse FrancesтАЩ wrist. + 

And then something happened which surprised him very much. Nurse Frances got up from her chair. + 

тАЬIтАЩm afraid we must turn you out for this evening, Mr.┬аDeyre,тАЭ she said quietly. тАЬVernon and I have things to do.тАЭ + 

This astonished Vernon very much, because he couldnтАЩt think what those things were. He was still more puzzled when his father got up also and said in a low voice: + 

тАЬI beg your pardon.тАЭ + 

Nurse Frances bent her head a little, but remained standing. Her eyes met Walter DeyreтАЩs steadily. He said quietly: + 

тАЬWill you believe that I am really sorry, and let me come tomorrow?тАЭ + 

After that, in some way that Vernon could not have defined, his fatherтАЩs manner was different. He no longer sat so near Nurse Frances. He talked more to Vernon and occasionally they all three played a gameтБатАФusually Old Maid for which Vernon had a wild passion. They were happy evenings enjoyed by all three. + 

One day when Nurse Frances was out of the room, Walter Deyre said abruptly: + 

тАЬDo you like that nurse of yours, Vernon?тАЭ + 

тАЬNurse Frances? I like her lots. DonтАЩt you, Father?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes,тАЭ said Walter Deyre, тАЬI do.тАЭ + 

There was a sadness in his voice which Vernon felt. + 

тАЬIs anything the matter, Father?тАЭ + 

тАЬNothing that can be put right. The horse that gets left at the post never has much chance of making goodтБатАФand the fact that itтАЩs the horseтАЩs own fault doesnтАЩt make matters any better. But thatтАЩs double Dutch to you, old man. Anyway, enjoy your Nurse Frances while youтАЩve got her. There arenтАЩt many of her sort knocking about.тАЭ + 

And then Nurse Frances came back and they played Animal Grab. + 

But Walter DeyreтАЩs words had set VernonтАЩs mind to work. He tackled Nurse Frances next morning. + 

тАЬArenтАЩt you going to be here always?тАЭ + 

тАЬNo. Only till you get wellтБатАФor nearly well.тАЭ + 

тАЬWonтАЩt you stay always? IтАЩd like you to.тАЭ + 

тАЬBut you see, thatтАЩs not my work. My work is to look after people who are ill.тАЭ + 

тАЬDo you like doing that?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, very much.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhy?тАЭ + 

тАЬWell, you see, everyone has some particular kind of work that they like doing and that suits them.тАЭ + 

тАЬMummy hasnтАЩt.тАЭ + 

тАЬOh, yes, she has. Her work is to look after this big house and see that everything goes right, and to take care of you and your father.тАЭ + 

тАЬFather was a soldier once. He told me that if ever there was a war, heтАЩd go and be a soldier again.тАЭ + 

тАЬAre you very fond of your father, Vernon?тАЭ + 

тАЬI love Mummy best, of course. Mummy says little boys always love their mothers best. I like being with Father, of course, but thatтАЩs different. I expect itтАЩs because heтАЩs a man. What shall I be when I grow up, do you think? I want to be a sailor.тАЭ + 

тАЬPerhaps youтАЩll write books.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat about?тАЭ + 

Nurse Frances smiled a little. + 

тАЬPerhaps about Mr.┬аGreen, and Poodle and Squirrel and Tree.тАЭ + 

тАЬBut everyone would say that that was silly.тАЭ + 

тАЬLittle boys wouldnтАЩt think so. And besides, when you grow up, you will have different people in your headтБатАФlike Mr.┬аGreen and the children, only grown-up people. And then you could write about them.тАЭ + 

Vernon thought for a long time, then he shook his head. + 

тАЬI think IтАЩll be a soldier like Father. Most of the Deyres have been soldiers, Mummy says. Of course you have to be very brave to be a soldier, but I think I would be brave enough.тАЭ + 

Nurse Frances was silent a moment. She was thinking of what Walter Deyre had said of his small son. + 

тАЬHeтАЩs a plucky little chapтБатАФabsolutely fearless. DoesnтАЩt know what fear is! You should see him on his pony.тАЭ + 

Yes, Vernon was fearless enough in one sense. He had the power of endurance, too. He had borne the pain and discomfort of his broken leg unusually well for so young a child. + 

But there was another kind of fear. She said slowly after a minute or two: + 

тАЬTell me again how you fell off the wall that day.тАЭ + 

She knew all about the Beast, and had been careful to display no ridicule. She listened now to Vernon and as he finished she said gently: + 

тАЬBut youтАЩve known for quite a long time, havenтАЩt you, that it isnтАЩt a real Beast? That itтАЩs only a thing made of wood and wires.тАЭ + 

тАЬI do know,тАЭ said Vernon. тАЬBut I donтАЩt dream it like that. And when I saw it in the garden coming at meтБатАФтАЭ + 

тАЬYou ran awayтБатАФwhich was rather a pity, wasnтАЩt it? It would have been much better to have stayed and looked. Then youтАЩd have seen the men, and would have known just what it was. ItтАЩs always a good thing to look. Then you can run away afterwards if you still want toтБатАФbut you usually donтАЩt. And Vernon, IтАЩll tell you something else.тАЭ + 

тАЬYes?тАЭ + 

тАЬThings are never so frightening in front of you as they are behind you. Remember that. Anything seems frightening when itтАЩs behind your back and you canтАЩt see it. ThatтАЩs why itтАЩs always better to turn and face thingsтБатАФand then very often you find they are nothing at all.тАЭ + 

Vernon said thoughtfully: тАЬIf IтАЩd turned round I wouldnтАЩt have broken my leg, would I?тАЭ + 

тАЬNo.тАЭ + 

Vernon sighed. + 

тАЬI donтАЩt mind having broken my leg very much. It has been very nice having you to play with.тАЭ + 

He thought Nurse Frances murmured тАЬPoor childтАЭ under her breath, but that, of course, was absurd. She said smiling: + 

тАЬIтАЩve enjoyed it too. Some of my ill people donтАЩt like to play.тАЭ + 

тАЬYou really do like playing, donтАЩt you?тАЭ said Vernon. тАЬSo does Mr.┬аGreen.тАЭ + 

He added rather stiffly, for he felt shy: + 

тАЬPlease donтАЩt go away very soon, will you?тАЭ + 