I fancy
he has been doubtful of that sometimes. And I agree with Nora that it
would be better for one to speak for the three. He is getting stronger
now, and whoever is to be spokesman might, perhaps, go in to see him for
a few minutes some afternoon this week. Who is it to be,--Phil?"
"Don't ask me to do it!" exclaimed Phil; "_don't_--if you want the
affair to be a success. I feel mortally ashamed of my share in that
joke, and I agree with Felix that _somebody_ ought to speak to the
_pater_ about working so hard, and almost killing himself; but I warn
you that the whole thing will be a dead failure if I have the doing of
it. In the first place, he looks so wretchedly now that I can't even
look at him without feeling like breaking down; and with all that, if I
undertook to say to him what I'd have to, why, I'm convinced I'd get
rattled,--make an ass of myself, in fact,--and do no good whatever,--for
that sort of thing always makes him mad. That's just the truth,--'tisn't
that I want to shirk. Why don't you do it, old fellow?" (throwing his
arm across Fee's shoulders), "you always know what to say, and can do it
better than I."
But Fee didn't seem willing either; _I_ think the chief reason was
because he was afraid of the steps,--it's as much as he can do to get
up the one short flight from his floor to the schoolroom, and he gets
awfully nervous and cranky over even that short distance; but of course
the others didn't know that, and he didn't want them to know, and I
couldn't say anything, so everybody was very much surprised: even Nannie
opened her eyes when, after a good deal of urging, he said sharply, "I
am _not_ going to do it, and that settles it!"
I was afraid there'd be a fuss, so I sung out quickly, "Why don't _you_
do it, Betty? You're always saying you're equal to anything.
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