Peter was so distressed by the obvious fact that something horrid had happened to Bobbie that he limited his speech to repeating, "More bread and butter, please," at startlingly short intervals.

Phyllis stroked her sister's hand under the table to express sympathy, and knocked her cup over as she did it.

Fetching a cloth and wiping up the spilt milk helped Bobbie a little.

But she thought that tea would never end.

Yet at last it did end, as all things do at last, and when Mother took out the tray, Bobbie followed her.
"She's gone to own up," said Phyllis to Peter; "I wonder what she's done." "Broken something, I suppose," said Peter, "but she needn't be so silly over it.