“What I had in my mind, in coming to you, my poor child,” he heard Mrs. Otter say, “was to ask a great and really rather a difficult favour. What I came to say was this⁠ ⁠… oh, I don’t know whether I ought to worry you now about it!⁠ ⁠… but my son⁠ ⁠… I mean Jason⁠ ⁠… told me I might do just as I liked.⁠ ⁠… My house is my own, you know!” This last rather unexpected phrase was uttered with such a winning and whimsical smile that Wolf looked hastily at Mattie, very anxious that she should say nothing to hurt this visitor’s feelings. He was surprised to observe that Mattie had only in the vaguest manner caught the drift of this speech.

“Yes, Mrs. Otter, you’ve always been most kind to me,” was all she said in reply.