CHRISTINA STEAD
61
charming little grin . Morgan relaxed and sent a sparkling blue glance
to the boy.
"Nowwhen I was young I had digestive troubles ," pursued Uncle
Morgan , with an agreeable air. " I was a vegetarian , I wrongly believed
that it was meat that upset me . Never say I don ' t change my mind.
When facts present themselves to me , I change my mind . If I like the
taste. In this case it was a meat-stew brought to a Nat 's picnic by a
lovely , serious young woman , who admired your Uncle Morgan. I did
not know it then ; I was too serious. "
" It
was my' friend Nellie ," said Morgan 's younger sister, Beatrix ,
"you were keeping company ."
Morgan passed this over , "Morgan has never been known to
ignore a fact. Aunt Mildred he MAY ignore when she is in one of her
whimsies and whim-men have whimsies ; Aunt Beatrix he MAY ignore
when she forgets to collect the porridge plates-' , Beatrix got up hastily
"-and when her hair is sticking up-"
"Now, Morgan, " began Beatrixwith chatty ire, "you have twisted
your own hair into horns, into yellow horns ." This was a habit of Uncle
Morgan 's.
The children looked at the horns but did not laugh ; but Aunt
Beatrix giggled and her timid, little, brown-haired , three-year-old
daughter , Renee , broke down and giggled too . It was pretty to see how
her round face changed, broke , mottled , dimpled, shifted, as she bent
her head down, bashfully.
"Now, Grandmother," said Morgan, gravely addressing the
three-year-old .
Her eyes shone, she flushed.
"Now, Grandmother," he said ominously, "will you do every–
thing your Uncle Morgan tells you? Do you love your Uncle Morgan?"
" Yes ," she piped .
"Then ," he said looking gravely at her, " put your hand in the
flre for your Uncle Morgan . Will you, Grandmother? "
This was before Uncle Morgan took down the chimney and dug
out the fireplace, to avoid fire risks ; and at that moment , half the
breakfast fire was still blazing away in the grate , behind Aunt
Mildred's armchair. Renee (Grandmother) looked from her uncle to
her mother ; she paled .
" Grandmother? " he said sternly .
