name?"

"Leonidas."

"Leonidas! That's a pretty name!" He thought it DID sound pretty. "Well,
Leonidas, I want you to be a good boy and do a great favor for me,--a
very great favor."

Leonidas's face fell. This kind of prelude and formula was familiar to
him. It was usually followed by, "Promise me that you will never swear
again," or, "that you will go straight home and wash your face," or some
other irrelevant personality. But nobody with that sort of eyes had ever
said it. So he said, a little shyly but sincerely, "Yes, ma'am."

"You are going to the post-office?"

This seemed a very foolish, womanish question, seeing that he was
holding letters in his hand; but he said, "Yes."

"I want you to put a letter of mine among yours and post them all
together," she said, putting one little hand to her bosom and drawing
out a letter. He noticed that she purposely held the addressed side so
that he could not see it, but he also noticed that her hand was
small, thin, and white, even to a faint tint of blue in it, unlike
his sister's, the baby's, or any other hand he had ever seen. "Can you
read?" she said suddenly, withdrawing the letter.

The boy flushed slightly at the question. "Of course I can," he said
proudly.