"What?" Mr. Pryor said, his heavy-lidded eyes opening with a blue gleam; then he laughed. "Oh yes, I'd forgotten our sum in arithmetic; yes, Alice is nineteen."
"Well," Dr. Lavendar said, "g'long, Goliath!" and the buggy went tugging on up the hill. "David, if you'll look in my pocket you'll find some gingerbread."
David thrust a hand down into the capacious pocket and brought up the gingerbread, wrapped in a red silk handkerchief. He offered it silently to Dr. Lavendar.
"I don't believe I'll take any. Suppose you eat it, David?"
"No, thank you, sir."
Dr. Lavendar shook his head in a puzzled way.
David swallowed nervously. "Please, sir," he said, "was that lady that gentleman's sister?"
"Yes," Dr. Lavendar told him cheerfully.
"But if she is his sister," the little boy reasoned, "why didn't she kiss him? Janey, she—she always gave me forty kisses."
"Just forty?" Dr. Lavendar inquired, looking at the child over his spectacles.