Their father did his best for them; so did their mother; so did Aunt
Emily, the latter's sister. It is impossible to say very much about
these three either, except that they were just Father, Mother, and
Aunt Emily. They were the Authorities-in-Chief, and they knew
respectively everything there was to be known about such remote and
difficult subjects as London and Money; Food, Health and Clothing;
Conduct, Behaviour and Regulations, both general and particular. Into
these three departments of activity the children, without realising
that they did so, classed them neatly. Aunt Emily, besides the special
duties assigned to her, was a living embodiment of No. While Father
allowed and permitted, while Mother wobbled and hesitated, Aunt Emily
shook her head with decision, and said distinctly No. She was too full
of warnings, advice, and admonitions to get about much. She wore gold
glasses, and had an elastic, pointed nose. From the children's point
of view she must be classed as invalid. Somewhere, deep down inside
them, they felt pity.
The trio loved them according to their just deserts; they grasped that
the Authorities did their best for them.
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