Page:Ballinger Price--The Happy Venture.djvu/146

130 when he was supposed to be settling himself to sleep.

It was not till Ken was bending over the lamp, preparatory to blowing it out, that Phil noticed the bruise above his eye.

"How did you get that, lamb?" she said, touching Ken's forehead, illuminated by the lamp's glow.

Ken blew out the flame swiftly, and faced his sister in a room lit only by the faint, dusky reflection of moonlight without.

"Oh, I whacked up against something this afternoon," he said. "I'll put some witch-hazel on it, if you like."

"I'm so awfully glad about the Toad Song," whispered Felicia, slipping her hand within his arm. "Good old brother!"

"Good old Maestro," said Ken; and they went arm in arm up the steep stairs.

Ken lighted his sister's candle for her, and took his own into the room he shared with Kirk. There was no fear of candle-light waking Kirk. He was very sound asleep, with the covers thrown about, and Ken stood looking at him for some time, with the candle held above his brother's tranquil face.