“I think so, too, Tucker. Take your time. What happened, just?”

“After breakfast, sir, I went up to Arnold Deering’s room with him to tell him something. It was something that had happened to me that was—pretty nice, and I thought Arn—Deering would be pleased about it.”

“Wasn’t he?” prompted the Doctor when Toby paused.

“Not so much as I thought he would be. You see, sir, we’re—we’re chums.” The Doctor nodded sympathetically. “Then he said he guessed I was wrong about—about what I’d told him, and then—then we quarreled!”

“I see. Was that your fault, Tucker?”

“No, sir.”

“Quite sure?”

Toby thought. “Well, I guess it was partly my fault, sir, but he was awfully unreasonable!”

The Doctor smiled broadly. “And you weren’t, eh?” he inquired.