said, coaxingly, for he was very fond of her and could not sleep while
she was cold and miserable.

Still getting no response he pulled his body inch by inch out of the
bed-clothes, and holding his breath, found the floor with his feet
stealthily, as if to cheat the wardrobe into thinking that he was still
in it. But his reason was to discover whether Elspeth had fallen asleep
on her knees without her learning that he cared to know. Almost
noiselessly he worked himself along the floor, but when he stopped to
bring his face nearer hers, there was such a creaking of his joints that
if Elspeth did not hear it she--she must be dead! His knees played whack
on the floor.

Elspeth only gasped once, but he heard, and remained beside her for a
minute, so that she might hug him if such was her desire; and she put
out her hand in the darkness so that his should not have far to travel
alone if it chanced to be on the way to her. Thus they sat on their
knees, each aghast at the hard-heartedness of the other.

Tommy put the blankets over the kneeling figure, and presently announced
from the wardrobe that if he died of cold before repenting the blame of
keeping him out of heaven would be Elspeth's. But the last word was
muffled, for the blankets were tucked about him as he spoke, and two
motherly little arms gave him the embrace they wanted to withhold.
Foiled again, he kicked off the bed-clothes and said: "I tell yer I wants
to die!"

This terrified both of them, and he added, quickly:

"Oh, God, if I was sure I were to die to-night I would repent at once."