Part 5 (1/2)
”What are you reading, Harry?”
Harry looked up at her quizzically, and answered her question by another.
”Why? What is it to you, anyway?”
”Nothing,” said Flora, rather disconcerted. She was unaccustomed to boys, and had but little tact in dealing with them.
”I thought so,” replied Harry, coolly, returning to his book.
”Will you not tell me what you are reading?” again asked Flora, not willing to be so easily vanquished.
”Why do you want to know?” demanded Harry, looking at her suspiciously.
Flora's lips again framed ”nothing,” but no sound came, for like a flash she thought, ”If I say that, he will say, 'I thought so,' as he did before. No, I will give a reason,” so she said:
”You seemed to be so interested in it, I thought it must be very entertaining.”
”So it is,” replied Harry, throwing a mischievous glance over to the corner at Alec, where he sat thoroughly engrossed in his favorite pastime of whittling, and in serene thoughtlessness allowing the clippings to fall according to their own sweet will.
Harry was confident that Flora intended to ”read him a lecture upon trashy literature,” as he afterward privately told Alec. He replied:
”It is interesting, Flo, about murders, and bears, cut-throats and burglars, and other horrors that would make you nervous to read about.”
”I am not made nervous so easily as you may think, my dear boy,”
retorted Flora, condescendingly, and at the same time glancing cautiously at Harry, to see what effect this would have.
She had determined to try and gain an influence over her brothers, and felt that to show an interest in their occupations would be a good beginning. She realized the task she thus imposed on herself, but she meant to do her best, for this was another ”whatsoever.”
Harry was for a moment too much surprised to speak. Then he said, saucily:
”Ah, indeed! Well, let me read some to you.”
”I shall be glad for you to read to me, if you will read a story I have just started. I feel sure you will enjoy it. If yours is a book for boys only, I fear I could not appreciate it.”
”Oh, you couldn't?” said Harry. ”Why not, may I ask?”
But Flora was up and away ere the sentence was completed. Harry congratulated himself on having put her to flight, and returned to his book with a self-satisfied smile. Flora, however, had only gone to her room for a paper. Hurrying back, she spread it before astonished Harry, and, pointing to its columns, said, in a peculiarly persuasive manner:
”Now, Hal, I would be ever so glad if you would read that story aloud to us, while I crochet, and Alec whittles on the floor.”
Alec looked confused, and began to pick up some of the litter he had made.
”Never mind, Alec,” said Flora, laughing, ”I will clear it up this time.
Could you not put a newspaper under you to catch the cuttings, another time?”
”All right,” said Alec, looking relieved.
”We are all ready, Harry,” said Flora, sitting down and taking up her work.