“There was only one other time that I know of. When my father was killed by accident, he chanced to be one of the finders. He was mooning about, I suppose, taking liberties with people’s chins; but there he was, somehow. He brought the news home to my sister early in the morning, and brought Miss Abbey Potterson, a neighbour, to help break it to her. He was mooning about the house when I was fetched home in the afternoon⁠—they didn’t know where to find me till my sister could be brought round sufficiently to tell them⁠—and then he mooned away.”

“And is that all?”

“That’s all, sir.”

Bradley Headstone gradually released the boy’s arm, as if he were thoughtful, and they walked on side by side as before. After a long silence between them, Bradley resumed the talk.

“I suppose⁠—your sister⁠—” with a curious break both before and after the words, “has received hardly any teaching, Hexam?”