With Vocco and Flexinna she dined frequently, three times a
month at least and generally oftener. Brinnaria loved children,
especially babies, and there was always a baby in the Istorian
household--Flexinna's babies were all healthy and grew famously.
Of the six children, Brinnaria could not have told which she
loved or which loved her most. Her arrivals were always heralded
with shouts of glee, her romps with the children always put her in
a good humor, her swim with Flexinna sharpened an appetite
which needed no edge, while the cosiness and informality of
Flexinna's dining-room, where each of the three had undivided
possession of one entire sofa, made it certain that nothing marred
her enjoyment.


CHAPTER XIII - Perversity



ABOUT three years after her farewell to Almo, on entering
Vocco's house one afternoon, Brinnaria had a presentiment
of something wrong. The children were as vociferous and as
whimsical as usual, but there was a nameless difference in
Flexinna's expression and bearing. As soon as they were
alone in their bath, after she had had one good plunge in the
pool, Brinnaria, treading water in the deepest part of the tank,
shaking her head like a wet spaniel, demanded:

"What is the matter? There's something wrong. You might as
well tell me."