But it ain't reasonable; because, why didn't you tell me, child ?" "Why, you see, when you got to talking about the funeral, I just got all full of the idea of our coming and hiding in the church, and I couldn't somehow bear to spoil it.

So I just put the bark back in my pocket and kept mum." "What bark ?" "The bark I had wrote on to tell you we'd gone pirating.

I wish, now, you'd waked up when I kissed you--I do, honest." The hard lines in his aunt's face relaxed and a sudden tenderness dawned in her eyes.
"DID you kiss me, Tom ?" "Why, yes, I did." "Are you sure you did, Tom ?" "Why, yes, I did, auntie--certain sure." "What did you kiss me for, Tom ?" "Because I loved you so, and you laid there moaning and I was so sorry." The words sounded like truth.

The old lady could not hide a tremor in her voice when she said: "Kiss me again, Tom!--and be off with you to school, now, and don't bother me any more." The moment he was gone, she ran to a closet and got out the ruin of a jacket which Tom had gone pirating in.

Then she stopped, with it in her hand, and said to herself: "No, I don't dare.