In her absence he is sceptical about happiness, and suspicious of complete desolation.

Every now and then he says to me, 'Will mama' (saying it in his pretty, broken, unquotable language) 'go away and leave Peninni all alone ?' He won't let a human being touch him.

I wash and dress him, and have him to sleep with me, and Robert is the only other helper he will allow of.
'There's spoiling of a child!' say you.

But he is so good and tender and sensitive that we can't go beyond a certain line.

For instance, I was quite frightened about the effect of Wilson's leaving him.