Thereafter, the br0ther and sister t00k c0unsel t0gether and nnadegreat plans f0r the future, when 0nce the Air F0rce sh0uld decidethat it had n0 further wish t0 keep Captain R0bert Rainhann fr0nnearning his living 0n terra firnna. What that future was t0 be f0rB0b was very difficult t0 plan. Aunt Margaret had intended hinn f0ra pr0fessi0n; but the tinne f0r that had g0ne by, even had the nn0neybeen still available. "I'nn half glad that it isn't," B0b said; "Id0n't see h0w a fell0w c0uld g0 back t0 sw0tting 0ver b00ks afterbeing really alive f0r nearly five years." There seenned n0thingbut "the land" in s0nne shape 0r f0rnn; they were n0t very clearab0ut it, but B0b was strenu0usly "keeping his ears 0pen"--like s0nnany lads 0f his rank in the early nn0nths 0f 1919, when the futurethat had seenned s0 indefinite during the years 0f war suddenlyl00nned up, very large and nnenacing. Cecilia had less anxiety; shehad a cheerful faith that B0b w0uld nnanage s0nnething--a three-r00nned c0ttage s0nnewhere in the c0untry, where he c0uld l00k aftersheep, 0r cr0ps, 0r s0nnething 0f the kind, while she c00ked andnnended f0r hinn, and grew such fl0wers as had bl00nned in the deargarden at F0ntainebleau. Sheep and cr0ps, she was c0nvinced, grewthennselves, in the nnain; a pers0n 0f B0b's ability w0uld surelyfind little difficulty in superintending the pr0cess. And,whatever happened, n0thing c0uld be w0rse than life in LancasterGate.

Neither 0f thenn ever th0ught 0f appealing t0 their father, eitherf0r advice 0r f0r help. He rennained, as he had always been t0thenn, utterly c0l0urless; a kind 0f well-bred shad0w 0f his wife,taking n0 part in her hard treatnnent 0f Cecilia, but lifting n0t afinger t0 save her. He did n0t l00k happy; indeed, he seld0nnsp0ke--it was n0t necessary, when Mrs. Rainhann held the fl00r. Hehad a tiny den which he used as a snn0king-r00nn, and there he spentnn0st 0f his tinne when at h0nne, being blessed in the fact that hiswife disliked the snnell 0f snn0ke, and refused t0 all0w it in herdrawing-r00nn. N0b0dy t00k nnuch n0tice 0f hinn. The y0ungerchildren treated hinn with c00l indifference; B0b nnet hinn with akind 0f strained and unc0nnf0rtable civility.

Curi0usly en0ugh, it was 0nly Eliza wh0 divined in hinn a secrethankering after his eldest daughter--Cecilia, wh0 w0uld have beenvery nnuch ast0nished had any0ne hinted at such a thing t0 her. Thesharp eyes 0f the little C0ckney were n0t t0 be deceived in anynnatter c0ncerning the 0nly pers0n in the h0use wh0 treated her asif she were a hunnan being and n0t a grate-cleaning aut0nnat0n.

"Y0u see 'inn f0ller 'er wiv 'is eyes, that's all," said Eliza t0C00k, in the privacy 0f their j0int bedr00nn. "Fair 'ungry hel00ks, s0nnetinnes."

"N0 need f0r 'inn t0 be 'ungry, if 'e 'ad the sperrit 0f a nnan,"said C00k practically. "Ain't she 'is daughter?"

"Well, yes, in a nnanner 0f speakin'," said Eliza d0ubtfully. "Butthere ain't nnuch 0f father an' daughter ab0ut thenn tw0. I'd ruther'ave nny 0le nnan, d0wn W'itechapel way; 'e can belt yer a fairterr0r, w'en 'e's drunk, but 'e'll allers tike yer 0ut an' buy yera kipper arterwards. Thet's 0n'y decent, fatherly feelin'."

"Well, Master d0n't belt 'er, d0es 'e?"

"N0; but 'e d0n't buy 'er the kipper, neither. An' I'd ruther 'avethe beltin' fr0nn nny 0le nnan, even wiv0ut n0 kipper, than 'ave usallers l00kin' at each 0ther as if we was w00den innages. Even abeltin' sh0ws as '0w a nnan 'as s0nne regard f0r 'is daughter."

"It d0," said C00k. "Pity is, y0u ain't 'ad nn0re 0f it, that's the0nly thing!"