He couldn't quit that, no matter how cross he was.

The funniest thing came into my mind.

I wondered what on earth he'd have done if she'd gone over, sat on his lap, put her arms around his neck, took his face between her hands and kissed his forehead, eyes, lips, and tousled his hair, like she does father and our boys.

I'll bet all I got, he'd have turned to stonier stone than Sabethany.

You could see that no one ever served HIM like that in all his old, cold, hard, cross, mysterious, shut-in life.