Pete had taken himself off to Mrs. Parrott’s house on the other side of the road, the morning after he and Joy had paid their first visit to Fernbank. Aileen, who had grown to look upon him as a member of her own family, was a little hurt at first, but after Lana and Joy, to say nothing of Emma, had said all they had to say on the subject, she seemed a little more contented.‘It’s only likely the boy’ll want to get settled in while you’re still here to turn to if things don’t work out just as he has hoped and planned,’ Emma said philosophically. ‘He’s a young man now, Aileen, not the boy you took in, shattered and forlorn by what had happened to him. He knows he’ll have to fend for himself now he’s more or less on his feet, and he knows he has you and this family to thank for that—and it’s only likely he’ll want to make sure he’ll be as comfortable as he expected across at Mrs. Parrott’s. If he isn’t I dare say he’ll be back here, asking you to help him find somewhere else before you leave for Vanmouth.
