Page:Anna Chapin--Half a dozen boys.djvu/138

120 to bed. He doesn’t want anything,” she said to Bess.

“Oh, dear!” said Bess, almost impatiently. “What will the boys think, when I invited them to see him?”

But the boys were ready to forgive everything, and the evening’s games were pronounced a great success. As they went away, Rob lingered behind for a moment, to ask Bess if she thought Fred really ill.

“Oh, no; nothing serious, if it is anything at all. He may have some little headache, but I suspect it was just because he dreaded meeting you boys.”

An hour later, as Bess went to her room, she stopped to listen at Fred’s door. All was quiet, and she concluded that the boy was  asleep. But just as she was falling into her first doze, she thought she heard a noise from  the next room. Raising herself on her elbow, she listened intently, and soon caught the sound  of a smothered sob. She quickly put on a wrapper and slippers, and went into Fred’s room.

“What is it, my boy? Are you ill?” she asked anxiously.