“I don’t want to, but I suppose it would do me good, and make me remember.”
“Well, my small philosopher, you completely disarm me. I confess I was very angry at first, and still feel annoyed, but if I can help your memory by withholding my usual good-night kiss, go to bed without it. Good-night, daughter.”
Mabel lingered wistfully. It was very hard to make her up mind to go without that good-night kiss, and her lips quivered as she turned away, seeing that her father meant to follow out her suggestion. But on the spot she formed a resolution to try to replace the book if ever she could. Five dollars! that was a lot of money; more than she ever had at once, but she would save up every penny. She wondered if there were any books sold at Harold’s house that afternoon. She would ask him.
The next morning, while the family were at breakfast, Drake appeared with rather a perturbed countenance. “I’d like your advice, Mr. Ford,” he began, “So long as your lady was so good as to invite little Harold to come over here, sir, I thought, perhaps you wouldn’t mind helping me out in getting him fixed. You see, sir, when the Captain went away he said the boy was to go to his aunt, and that I was to take him as soon as I heard from her. Now she writes, or rather a nurse does, and says she’s laid up to a hospital, sannytorum, they call it, and it’ll be weeks before she’s out again, and will I look after the boy till she’s well. She seems to think I’m some sort of kin-folks to him. But you see, sir, me and my wife has a chance to go to the country to a good place, and how’ll we take the boys, we being hired help like?”
“Humph!” Mr. Ford glanced up at his wife.
Mabel slipped down from her chair and went close to her mother.
“Mamma, let him come here,” she whispered. “He hasn’t any mamma nor any sisters and brothers, nor anything. I’ll give up my room if Alice will let me sleep with her.”
“Mabel proposes that we invite Harold here,” said Mrs. Ford. “She will give up her room to him, Phillip.”
“Well, but how about you? It is something of a charge to take a boy into the family where there are only girls.”
“I’ll take the charge willingly.”