When they
were brought up to the Day Nursery, Robin was asleep after a rather
long walk, which Dowson had decided would be good for her. When
she came later into the room, after the things had been unpacked,
she regarded them with an expression of actual dislike.
"Isn't that a beautiful doll?" said Dowson, good-humouredly. "And
did you ever see such a lovely house? It was kind Lord Coombe who
gave them to you. Just you look at the picture books."
Robin put her hands behind her back and would not touch them. Dowson,
who was a motherly creature with a great deal of commonsense, was
set thinking. She began to make guesses, though she was not yet
sufficiently familiar with the household to guess from any firm
foundation of knowledge of small things.
"Come here, dear," she said, and drew the small thing to her knee.
"Is it because you don't love Lord Coombe?" she asked.
"Yes," she answered.
"But why?" said Dowson. "When he is such a kind gentleman?"
But Robin would not tell her why and never did. She never told
any one, until years had passed, how this had been the beginning
of a hatred. The toys were left behind when she was taken to the
seaside. Dowson tried to persuade her to play with them several
times, but she would not touch them, so they were put away. Feeling
that she was dealing with something unusual, and, being a kindly
person, Dowson bought her some playthings on her own account.
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