To the little girl he was a figure to be feared and avoided.
Goodbye, Father.
Hmm...
Phew!
Hum...Hum...Hum...
In the evening when the father returns from office...
On Sunday afternoons Grandmother sent her down to the drawing-room to have a “nice talk with Father and Mother”. But the little girl always found Mother reading and Father stretched out on the sofa, sleeping soundly and snoring.
Kezia!!! If you're a good girl you can come down and take off your father's boots.
Bring my tea into the drawing-room... Hasn't the paper come yet? Mother, go and see if my paper's out there- and bring me my slippers.
You d-d-don’t know? If you stutter like that, Mother will have to take you to the doctor.
Well, Kezia, hurry up and pull off these boots and take them outside. Have you been a good girl today?
I d-d-don’t know, Father.
What’s the matter? What are you looking so wretched about? Mother, I wish you taught this child not to appear on the brink of suicide... Here, Kezia, carry my teacup back to the table carefully.
Don’t stare so, Kezia. You look like a little brown owl.