Freud_Burlingham_1943_War_and_Children_k_text

and a half years of his life and then was takenfrom her very suddenly when she had to .goto a hospital in the last stages of tuberculous illness.His father who knows that the mother'sdeath is expected shortly and who is himselfin the Merchant Navy brought Bertram andhis elder sister to the Hampstead Nurserywhen on leave.Bertram, at the beginning, spoke very littleand never made any references to his past.Instead of that he would get into short fitsof temper and defend himself against all sortsof harmless routine happenings with the utmostvigour but without any consistency in his behaviour.He would refuse for instance to beput to bed or to be washed or to have his throatinspected at one moment and then willinglyallow to have it done the next He would sitendlessly at table apparently finishing hislunch. The most difficult time for him was theevening when he was supposed to go to bed. Onsuch an occasion he had one of his outbursts ofanger against the nursery superintendent andassured her that he did not like her. She saidsimply that she was very sorry because she didlike him.He said: "I don't like you and I don't likenobody. I only like myself". Immediatelyafterwards he told her for the first time howhis mother had gone away in a big car and138