"Go on. Remember your second resolution," I whispered to the
Story Girl, who was stalking along with an outraged expression.
The Story Girl swallowed something and went on.
"Cousin Ebenezer had a horror of borrowing. He thought it was
simply a dreadful disgrace to borrow ANYTHING. Well, you know he
and Cousin Mattie used to live in Carlisle, where the Rays now
live. This was when Grandfather King was alive. One day Cousin
Ebenezer came up the hill and into the kitchen where all the
family were. Uncle Roger said he looked as if he had been
stealing sheep. He sat for a whole hour in the kitchen and hardly
spoke a word, but just looked miserable. At last he got up and
said in a desperate sort of way, 'Uncle Abraham, can I speak with
you in private for a minute?' 'Oh, certainly,' said grandfather,
and took him into the parlour. Cousin Ebenezer shut the door,
looked all around him and then said imploringly, 'MORE PRIVATE
STILL.' So grandfather took him into the spare room and shut that
door. He was getting frightened. He thought something terrible
must have happened Cousin Ebenezer. Cousin Ebenezer came right up
to grandfather, took hold of the lapel of his coat, and said in a
whisper, 'Uncle Abraham, CAN--YOU--LEND--ME--AN--AXE?'"
"He needn't have made such a mystery about it," said Cecily, who
had missed the point entirely, and couldn't see why the rest of us
were laughing.
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