“Your mother wasn’t very nice to me.”

“Well, one can hardly blame her for that, can one? People do feel rather odd in these situations.”

“But I was nice to you , wasn’t I?” the girl went on. “And yet I couldn’t bear to think that Father wasn’t my real father,” she added faintly.

Mattie’s face had such a touching expression at that moment⁠—an expression at once so thrilled and so puzzled⁠—that with a quick and sudden movement he flung his arm round her neck and gave her a brusque kiss, full on the mouth.

“ Mr. Solent! Wolf!” she protested feebly. “You mustn’t! What will she think?”