“No’m, I’d like her to stay, please.”
So Mrs. Merton departed and Nan drew a chair to the side of the bed. “You are better, aren’t you, Kid?” she asked anxiously.
Kid nodded. “I’m all right,” he assured her. “I could eat the roof off the house, I’m so hungry.”
“That’s nice! I wanted to come and see you before, but mama thought I’d better wait until now. Did you like the book I sent?”
“I—I haven’t read much of it yet,” replied Kid. “You see, I slept a good deal.”
Nan nodded. “You will like it when you do read it,” she said. “You’ll be perfectly crazy about it! How far have you got?”
“Not very far,” answered Kid, avoiding her eyes. “Say, Nan, want to do me a favor?”
“Of course!”
“Then you sneak downstairs and look in the Encyclopedia Britannica and get a story-paper I left in it, will you? It’s called ‘Hairbreadth Harry, the Gentleman Scout,’ and if anyone finds it I’ll get thunder. Will you? I think it’s in the fifth volume, but you try them all. If you want to, I’ll let you read it when I’m through.”