Alice replied that just sitting still would help her immensely.
"What's the paper about?" Robert wanted to know.
Alice told him.
"What's that?" he inquired. The morning was flying, but Alice took him into her confidence some more. When she had finished, his disappointing comment was merely, "Shucks!"
To this Alice replied, "Well, Robert, shucks or not, it interests me. I want to write this paper, and I can't write it unless you children stop interrupting me every five minutes. Just don't come near my room—that's all. And, Sara, don't take Jamie's things away from him. And, Robert, don't tease Sara."
Alice realized the moral tone of the interview had lowered perceptibly, and that she was speaking with a decided briskness.
Jamie was gently beating a tattoo upon the floor; the whole thing floated over his placid head. He was intent on his own imaginings. He had understood only one thing, and that was that Sara was not to take away his things as was her custom.
