Patricia, the sister, had abandoned all intention of running away from home to obtain the right sort of companionship.
Winona meant to pique and inspire Wilbur to new endeavour with these tales, which, for a good purpose, she took the liberty of embellishing where they seemed to invite it--as how the Whipples were often heard to wish that the other twin had been as good and well-mannered a boy as Merle--who did not use tobacco in any form--so they might have adopted him, too.

Winona was perhaps never to understand that Wilbur could not picture himself as despised and rejected.

His assertion that he had not wished to be adopted by any Whipples she put down to envious bravado.
Had he not from afar on more than one occasion beheld his brother riding the prophesied pony?
But he would have felt embarrassed at meeting his brother now face to face.

He liked to see him at a distance, on the wonderful pony, or being driven in the cart with other Whipples, and he felt a great pride that he should have been thus exalted.

But he was shyly determined to have no contact with this splendid being.
When school began in the fall he was again constrained to the halls of learning.