He was nigh goin' into one o' his tantrums.
There's been a nice to do all afternoon to keep
him quiet. He would watch the clock all th'
time."

Mary's lips pinched themselves together. She
was no more used to considering other people
than Colin was and she saw no reason why an ill-tempered
boy should interfere with the thing she
liked best. She knew nothing about the pitifulness
of people who had been ill and nervous and
who did not know that they could control their
tempers and need not make other people ill and
nervous, too. When she had had a headache in
India she had done her best to see that everybody
else also had a headache or something quite as
bad. And she felt she was quite right; but of
course now she felt that Colin was quite wrong.

He was not on his sofa when she went into his
room. He was lying flat on his back in bed and
he did not turn his head toward her as she came
in. This was a bad beginning and Mary marched
up to him with her stiff manner.

"Why didn't you get up?" she said.

"I did get up this morning when I thought you
were coming," he answered, without looking at her.
"I made them put me back in bed this afternoon.
My back ached and my head ached and I was
tired. Why didn't you come?"

[[210]]

p209 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p210w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p211

v?