“I suppose I’ll come to it. I suppose I’ll have to,” he grumbled. “But it won’t be until after about three weeks are gone by.”
“I am glad you feel that way. It will certainly be a civil thing to do,” Meadowcroft said kindly.
The boy edged along, pausing at the threshold.
“I daresay you would begin the very first day?” he demanded rather reproachfully.
“I should rather envy the fellow who did,” Meadowcroft replied quietly.
“O gee! I suppose in the end that is just what I shall have to do!” exclaimed Tommy. “And I’ll be Baby Brother to the end of the chapter. You wait and see. Well—so long!”
CHAPTER XVI
“WHAT’S the matter with you, anyhow, Betty Pogany?” Tommy demanded fiercely. He was the most even-tempered, good-humored lad in the world, but at this time he was secretly deeply troubled about Betty and he cloaked his anxiety under the guise of impatience. “You’re getting almost too thin already. And if you go on——”
He waved his stained hands eloquently with the familiar gesture of the wizard. But his words hadn’t had the effect he desired, and he frowned. Betty’s face had lighted up with happy wonderment at the idea that anyone could speak of her as being thin—as being even remotely likely to become too thin! She had truly lost so many pounds that the charming and very becoming sailor-suit she had had for a school dress had had to be taken in very considerably, that she walked easily and ran with pleasure, but she hadn’t thought of others noticing it. And certainly she had never dreamed that hers should be the bliss of being called thin!
Tommy glanced across the table at her. They were having their Christmas holidays and Betty had come down to see him do tricks, as they called it, though it was seldom he really accomplished what he expected to do. Tommy was himself painfully thin, but that was because he was growing so rapidly. Always rather below the average height for his years, soon after he entered the high school, Tommy had suddenly begun to shoot up. He had gone so far in the four months that it looked as if he would overtake Betty almost within the year.