chairs. If any one was very sick, he forgot himself, but he
had a clumsy touch in convalescent gossip.

Thea curled up on her side and looked at him with
pleasure. "All right. I like to be sick. I have more fun then
than other times."

"How's that?"

"I don't have to go to school, and I don't have to prac-
tice. I can read all I want to, and have good things,"--
she patted the grapes. "I had lots of fun that time I
mashed my finger and you wouldn't let Professor Wunsch
make me practice. Only I had to do left hand, even then.
I think that was mean."

The doctor took her hand and examined the forefinger,
where the nail had grown back a little crooked. "You
mustn't trim it down close at the corner there, and then it
will grow straight. You won't want it crooked when you're
a big girl and wear rings and have sweethearts."

She made a mocking little face at him and looked at his
new scarf-pin. "That's the prettiest one you ev-ER had.
I wish you'd stay a long while and let me look at it. What
is it?"