4. "Miss Flower could not help being anxious..."
Mr. Twilfit's eyebrows are once again working up and down, unable to conceal their owner's pleasure...hmmm...not unlike a dog's tail.  I always thought it might be fun to have a tail, for an hour or so. There's such honesty in that appendage.

...and it's good to see that Miss Happiness and Miss Flower's wishes are causing small changes in the relationship between Nona and Belinda.  Even though Belinda continues her campaign of persecution towards Nona, she does seem to perceive the anxiousness of the dolls. "Is she going on reading for ever?" Belinda and Nona respond simultaneously to Mr. Twilfit's statement about the bones of a house. Belinda was unable to hide her budding interest. I think she has to work at being a pill.  How many of us can relate to that?

Reading, reading, studying...I like to think that is the way to accomplishing something wonderful, learning a new skill, reaching for a goal.  I doubt if I'll get many that will disagree.  I applaud Nona's painstaking study. How many of us though remain in that state, when we occasionally would be better off just letting something spring out of our hands? Have you ever had that happen to you?

Jane
-------------------------------
I think Nona is such a serious child, and she needs a Belinda in her life.  Granted, they may never be the best of cousins, but Belinda is coming around to an (so far) not admitted curiosity and interest in the building of the house.  And Nona seems to be opening up and getting over her fears.

JOC
-----------------
I suppose you are correct, Julie.  Sometimes the pressure of an adversary pushes one to do bigger and better things.

Jane
---------------------------

Nona and Belinda are such opposites. They each have a little "flaw" that has the "cure" in the other. 

Together they have found a strength that binds them.  A Ying and Yang sort of thing. A good balance, but only together, 
otherwise they are each unbalanced and struggle. 
Denise H
-----------------------
I think it is a very touching relationship that Mr Twilfit brings to the story - the sort of innocent relationship between small township people - where he recognises Nona's interest and eagerness to learn, and helps to foster that interest .. all above board because he takes her home to her aunt, and is welcomed in for a cup of tea. All nice and civilised, and sadly perhaps this sort of thing may be a little lost these days because of other more sinister revelations and how our society has changed, not all for the best. With Mr Twilfit we see for the first time in this story that first impressions aren't always right (assuming that Tom, Susan and Belinda were actually right about Mr Twilfit to start off with!)

Caro
------------------