“Will you stay with me a little while?”

“A little while, but I must soon go. Why did you scream so loud a little while ago?”

“I—don’t know.”

“Were you in pain?”

“N—no,” answered Ernest, softly.

“Do you like to cry out in that manner?”

“No, but—I have to do it. I can’t help it.”

“I think he gives the right explanation,” said Arthur. “It is a nervous impulse, and has nothing to do with pain.”

“Does he ever sit in your lap, like this?”

“No; I think he likes me in a way, for I am always kind to him, but you seem to draw him to you irresistibly.”