heeks flushing
with surprise and then with pity.

"What's the matter?" she asked, gently.

"Matter?" roared Will; "I guess you'd ask, if you knew how old 'Crit'
had been cramming the fellows, and me nowhere. I'll--run away to sea,
or somewheres. I'm not going to _stand_ it."

Will bounced his hand down so hard on a tea-poy, two little terra
cotta shepherdesses bounded up from it, knocked their heads together,
and fell clattering to the floor.

"O, Will," cried Emily, rising up with a scared face, and dropping her
pretty work-basket, "don't talk so. You are tired now, and everything
troubles you, because you have been sick so long. By and by, when you
are a little stronger, you will feel differently. Don't think about
the back lessons. Just try to be glad you are well enough to go to
school again, and be with the boys."

"O, don't preach!" persisted Will, gruffly.

With the cloud still hanging over his handsome face, he shook himself
away from the caressing hand which was laid upon his shoulder, as if
to hold him back from running away to the great, pitiless sea.

"Asy! asy, now!"

This was Kathleen, the nurse, calling out in cautioning tones to Will,
who had jerked against the tray she was carrying causing the two
saucers of strawberries to click together sharply, and the buttered
rolls to slip over the edge of the plate.

"You're tired with the school, poor craythur, an' no wonder at that
same. Larnin's murtherin', bad luck to it! I tried it mysel oncet, a
moonth or so, avenin's. It's myself was watchin' for ye, Master Will,
and when ye came round the corner I had this bit sup arl ready for ye.
'The crame--quick--Bridget!' says I, and then I ran away up the two
flights with it; and barrin' the joggle you give it, it's in foine,
tip-top orther an' priservation arl tegither, bless your little sowl!"

Kathleen set out the crisp little rolls and the great crimson berries
in the most tempting way she could devise, and went off, bobbing her
head with satisfaction to see the children place themselves at table,
and partake of her well-timed lunch.

Will, as an atonement for the ungentle way in which he had come in
upon his sister after school, offered her the nicest plate of berries,
and insisted that she should take the crispiest roll. He suddenly
remembered that Emily, too, had had whooping-cough and measles at the
same time, and quite as badly as himself. But, then, she had not
sprained her wrist or lamed her