Page:Following darkness (IA followingdarknes00reid).pdf/62

Oh, how well I knew this mood, and how we would go round and round the same little circle, and how he would outwardly be so calm and reasonable and not in the least annoyed, yet inwardly be perfectly furious. "I think I'll go to bed," I murmured, getting up, and pretending to yawn.

My yawn was only meant to convey sleepiness, but my father saw in it impertinence. "Why do you try to vex me?" he asked.

"I don't try to vex you. Why should I?"

"Mrs. Carroll is different from us. Her position in life is different; it alters her view of everything; it is only natural that she should be more worldly."

"Is she very worldly?" I asked, without enthusiasm. Anybody less so, I could hardly imagine, but there was no use arguing.

My father branched off in another direction. "To-night, at dinner, were you offered wine?"

"I had some claret."

"You remember I had told you I would rather you didn't take anything?"

"No."

"Are you speaking the truth, Peter?"

"I don't know whether I remembered or not," I answered petulantly. "I didn't think it important enough to make a fuss about. You always want me to do everything differently from other people. If I can't do as other people do, I 'd rather not go at all."

"I'm not aware that I told you anything except what would please me," he answered coldly. "I left you perfectly free."

"How can you call it 'leaving me free' when you're for ever asking me whether I've done it? You say you don't forbid me to do things, but you always talk about them afterwards."