And this was most unselfish of all of them,
they were sure, because they had so long looked forward to putting
cotton-wool in their ears, and seeing how all the enemies of England
would be demolished. But Mrs. Caper junior, and Caper, natu minimus,
fell fast asleep together, as things turned out, and heard not a single
bang of it.
And so it turned out, in another line of life, with things against
all calculation, resenting to be reckoned as they always do, like the
countless children of Israel. For Admiral Darling was gone far away
inspecting, leaving his daughters to inspect themselves.
"You may just say exactly what you consider right, dear," said Miss
Dolly Darling to her sister Faith; "and I dare say it makes you more
comfortable. But you know as well as I do, that there is no reason in
it. Father is a darling; but he must be wrong sometimes. And how can
he tell whether he is wrong or right, when he goes away fifty miles
to attend to other people? Of course I would never disobey his orders,
anymore than you would. But facts change according to circumstances, and
I feel convinced that if he were here he would say, 'Go down and see it,
Dolly.'"
"We have no right to speculate as to what he might say," replied Faith,
who was very clear-headed. "His orders were definite: 'Keep within the
grounds, when notice is given of artillery practice.' And those orders I
mean to obey."
"And so do I; but not to misunderstand them.
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