Part 16 (1/2)
”Nothing,” said Vince, whose drea was all hidden now by a mental haze ”Is anybody ill, then?”
”I'm afraid you are, my dear,” said Mrs Burnet anxiously; and she laid her cool hand upon her son's forehead ”His head is very hot and wet, dear,” she added to the Doctor
”Yes, I know,” he said gruffly ”Here, Vince!”
”Yes, father”
”What did you have for your supper?”
”Oh! only a couple of slices of bread and butter, with a little jam on,”
said Mrs Burnet hastily ”I cut it for hi else?” said the Doctor
”No, dear”
”Yes, I did,clearer now
”I was so hungry I went into the larder and got that piece of cold pudding”
”Wurrrh!” roared the Doctor, uttering a peculiar growling sound, and, to the astonishave Vince a bang with it which knocked hi!” he cried ”Here! try a shoe-sole to-est that Coive you some lessons in natural history, and then you'll learn that you are not an ostrich, but a boy”
The next minute Vince was in the dark, but not before Mrs Burnet hadit with one of those tender good-nights which he never forgot to the very last
But Vince felt hot and angry hat had passed
”I wish father hadn't hit me,” he muttered ”He never did before I don't like it; and he seery”
Vince lay for so his not quite clear brain as to whether his father was angry or pretending There was the dull muroing on, but he could not tell whether hishis part or no Then, all at once, there caruff voice, and that settled it
”He couldn't have been cross,” thought Vince, ”or he wouldn't laugh like that And it was only the pillow after all”
Two ently without dreams, and so soundly that he did not hear the handle of the door creak softly, nor a light step on the floor Neither did he hear a voice say: ”Asleep, Vince?” nor feel a hand upon his forehead, nor two soft, warentle voice whispered: ”God blessboy!”
CHAPTER EIGHT
A RANDOM SHOT
”How about the cold pudding?”
”Look here, Ladle, if you say any ht”
”Ha, ha! Poor old Cinder riding the night at the cottage that night I'd have woke you up: I'd have given you cold pig!”
”Lucky for you that you weren't,” said Vince ”I'd have given you so, my lad But, I say, Ladle, drop it I wouldn't have told you about that if I'd known you were always going to fire it off at o stuffing hiing at the end of our rope”