Mrs. Peck, who had just sat down, shot to her feet.
“Daniel Edward Peck!” She was blazing with embarrassed fury. “Where did you learn that word? From Mr. Delacorte? It was Mr. Delacorte, wasn’t it, Daniel?”
Everyone stared at Mr. Delacorte.
Whose mouth dropped open.
Eventually nothing but an arid squeak of outraged injustice emerged from it.
Delilah couldn’t bear it. She rose at once. “It was me.”
A shocked gasp went up.
“Oh,honestly,” Captain Hardy said irritably. “It’s just a word.”
Another gasp went up at that.
“Was it your first time?” Mr. Delacorte asked Delilah sympathetically.
Mrs. Peck was staring at her, aghast. “Mrs.Hardy! I was assured this was a genteel, exclusive boardinghouse. Why on earth... please help me to understand!”
Delilah was scarlet. “Mrs. Peck, Daniel was wandering alone on the third floor. I was bent over to look at a bit of peelingwallpaper. He pinched me and... that was the word that burst forth. He startled me badly.”
“He pinched you? Where did he pinch you?” Mrs. Peck’s tone was now indignant.
“On the third floor,” Delilah repeated hopefully.
“Butwhere?”
“Oh, it hardly matters, does it?” Delilah said desperately. Although she knew it rather did.
“On the bottom!” Delacorte cheerfully guessed. As though there would be a prize for the first correct answer.
“Thank you, Mr. Delacorte,” Delilah said grimly. She was scarlet now.
Mrs. Peck’s hands went up to cover her mouth. She was now clearly distressed. “Oh my good heavens. I’m so, so sorry, Mrs. Hardy. I’ll have a word with our nurse! Four-year-olds can be so slippery. Daniel, why on earth did youdothat?”
Daniel stared mutely at his mother with his big calf eyes. Clearly, he hadn’t the faintest idea why he’d done that. He was four years old. Reason and impulse had not yet begun to work as a team.
“Round,” he finally said.
“Round?” His mother was confused.
“And squishy.”
Delilah closed her eyes.
“All right, that’s enough.” Captain Hardy stood. “Your son pinched my wife, Mrs. Peck. He frightened her. She shouted. She has already apologized to him, and now I think Daniel should apologize to her.”
Daniel’s face began to crumple.
“Daniel, do not cry,” Captain Hardy requested reasonably.
So surprised by the conversational tone was he that Daniel, perhaps accidentally, obeyed.
“It hurts to be pinched, and it’s an unkind thing to do,” Captain Hardy continued gently and matter-of-factly, trying his best not to sound like a blockade captain. “You scared Mrs. Hardy. And while she is an adult, adults have feelings, just like you. You wouldn’t like it if she pinchedyou, would you?”
He was careful not to sound accusing. He was presenting Daniel with a simple yes or no question.