John no one thwarted, much less punished; though he twisted the necks of the pigeons, killed the little pea-chicks, set the dogs at the sheep, stripped the hothouse vines of their fruit, and broke the buds off the choicest plants in the conservatory: he called his mother "old girl," too; sometimes reviled her for her dark skin, similar to his own; bluntly disregarded her wishes; not unfrequently tore and spoiled her silk attire; and he was still "her own darling."
Pedig John kitekeri a galambok nyakát, agyontapossa a kiscsibéket, ráuszítja a kutyákat a birkákra, leszedi a melegházi szőlő fürtjeit, a virágházban letöri a legritkább dísznövények bimbóit. Ráadásul anyját "öregasszony"-nak szólítja, olykor csúfolja is sötét bőréért, amely pedig éppen olyan, mint az övé.