Horton,
each in their separate ways, led lives of strange activity in the
lower regions of the house till the kitchen seemed the palace of an
ogress and the pantry was its haunted vestibule. "Mrs. Horton's
kitchen" was a phrase as powerful as "Open Sesame"; and "the butler's
pantry" edged the world of mighty dream.
Above all, Mother occupied a new relationship towards them that made
her twice as splendid as before. Until Uncle Felix came, she was
simply "Mother," who loved them whatever they did and made allowances
for everything. That was her duty, and unless they provided her with
something to make allowances for they had failed in what was expected
of them. Her absorption in servants and ordering of meals, in choosing
their clothes and warning Jackman about their boots--all this was a
chief reason for her existence, and if they didn't eat too much
sometimes and wear their boots out and tear their clothes, Mother
would have been without her normal occupation. Whereas now they saw
her in another light, touched with the wonder of the sun and stars. It
was proper, of course, for her to have children, but they realised now
that she contrived to make the whole world work somehow for their
benefit.
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