“Nonsense, Harry, nonsense!” cried his friend. “Why, we couldn’t do it without you; it would be no fun at all. Your own ship too. No, you needn’t say another word about it.”
But Harry kept to his purpose; and in time Walter felt that he was really quite in
earnest, and that to refuse would only vex him.
“Well, if you really want me to, Harry,” he said reluctantly. “But won’t you be awfully dull when I take the good ship away from your room? You’ve often said it was quite a companion to you when we’re all out.”
“Not a bit!” cried Harry bravely. “I’m quite tired of seeing the old thing on dry land. I’m wearying awfully to know how it floats, and you’ll come home and tell me all about it. Tell me if there were people looking on, and if the pennons looked well when they were waving out at sea, and all that. I want to hear what everybody says about it, and if they think the Rover as fine a boat as they have ever seen at the Shelf Rock before. So you see, Wat, you must make haste and be off with it, or I’ll be quite put out, and that will be sure
to make me worse again. Ask mamma if that isn’t true! I wonder I never thought of this before. It was awfully stupid of me, to be sure!”
His eyes sparkled brightly now, all the brighter, perhaps, because he had just dashed away some childish tears; for he was very young, you must remember, and also weak from illness. He wanted to make his tiny bit of self-sacrifice right bravely and cheerfully, feeling that a grudging manner of giving sadly mars a gift.
Mr. and Mrs. Leslie were greatly pleased at hearing what Harry had planned for the others, especially as it had come entirely from himself. He had certainly not been urged to do it in any way; it had not even been suggested to him.
