"But why? What made him do it?" Miss Long questioned.
"We fell out," Bob commenced to explain, lifting his blue eyes to her face. "He said he believed he could run faster than I could, and I said he couldn't. So we had a race and I beat him, and then I laughed at him for being so sure he'd win, and he got mad and pushed me against a stone wall and hurt my hand; and then I hit him harder than I meant to. I've told him I'm sorry, but he won't speak to me." And Bob regarded Rupert in a somewhat disgusted manner.
"Look how his hand is scarred!" exclaimed Nellie, turning her attention from Rupert to Bob. "Oh, do let me get some warm water and bathe it for him!"
This she accordingly did, whilst Miss Long bathed Rupert's eye, which was already beginning to discolour. Lilian slipped quietly away to acquaint her parents with what had happened, and to beg them not to blame one boy more than the other. Mr. and Mrs. Coker wisely decided to treat the matter lightly and to have little to say about it; and when Bob said good-bye to them a short while later, to his intense relief, he found that his invitation for the following Saturday still held good.
It was Lilian who coaxed her brother into a better temper, and prevailed upon him to shake hands with Bob and make friends.
"I'm really very sorry." Bob said, "but you know you hurt me first."
"You had no right to laugh at me," Rupert murmured ungraciously, "but since you're sorry—"
"I'm not sorry I laughed at you," the other interrupted candidly, "I should do the same again; but I'm sorry I've given you such a dreadful black eye."
"Well, say no more about it," Lilian advised. "It's so stupid to fall out about a trifling matter like this, and you were getting such good friends, weren't you? You know, Rupert, you are always complaining that you've only girls to play with; you'll be as badly off as ever if you keep up a quarrel with Bob."
Rupert recognised the truth of his sister's words, so he threw off his fit of sulks, and graciously requested Bob to come early on the following Saturday.