Page:The little blue devil (IA littlebluedevil00mackiala).pdf/92

Alison stopped reading and regarded the brown face opposite her. Tony was up now. For the last two days he had been promoted to a lounge in his own room; with the help of crutches even made little tours about, from window to door and back again, Alison smiling encouragement from her corner. But for the bad weather he would have been out of doors; that was still a joy to come.

“No more reading, Tony. I’m tired.”

“I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have gone on so long. I shouldn’t have let you.”

“You shouldn’t have let me! What next? So you think you can begin ordering me about, do you, Impertinence?”

“Does the Professor order you about?”

“Of course he doesn’t. What would be the use? Besides, I have my hands full, ordering him. Husbands are dreadfully troublesome, Tony.”

“Are they? Aren’t wives worse?”

“How dare you, you very naughty boy!”

“You don’t mind really, do you?”

(It made him feel about ten years older, to talk nonsense with the woman beside him. He looked at her thoughtfully, considering that he was really very much older than this laughing girl. “It isn’t years that count. She can’t be much over twenty, anyway.”)

Alison broke in on his meditations.

“Do you think it’s respectful, to talk so to an old woman, young man?”

“How old are you?”