(He was a cross man, and very stern, as everybody knew.) But, dear suz me! Aunt Jane was awfully shocked, and said certainly not; that she meant Mr.Darling had left his wife a great deal of money.
Then she talked very stern and solemn to me, and said that I must not think just because my poor dear father's married life had ended in such a wretched tragedy that every other home had such a skeleton in the closet.
_I_ grew stern and dignified and solemn then.

I knew, of course, what she meant.

I'm no child.

She meant Mother.

She meant that Mother, my dear blessed mother, was the skeleton in their closet.