ored
and indulged that his own will had become his law; he loved to tease,
and hated to be thwarted in the slightest degree, and this made him
often very exacting and tyrannical. Miss Higginson called him a "most
exasperating boy," and she wasn't far wrong. He teased Kate and Eva so
much that they hated to go into his room, or even in the gondola when
he took, now and then, an airing. But, to everybody's surprise, he and
Stevie got on better than was expected. Part of the secret of this lay
in the fact that Dave had lived in America all his life--had just come
from there, and was able to give Stevie long and glowing accounts of
that country and everything in it--as seen from the other boy's
standpoint. Stevie's rapt attention and implicit faith in him
flattered Dave, and beside, though he wouldn't have acknowledged it for
the world, he found the little fellow's willing ministrations very much
pleasanter than those of the French valet, whose patience he had soon
exhausted. And Stevie felt so sorry for the boy who had dearly loved
to run and leap and climb, and who now lay so helpless that he could
not even sit up for five minutes. Dave's heart was very sore over it
sometimes--once or twice he had let Stevie see it; and then he had no
dear loving mother as Stevie had, and his papa had never talked to him
as Stevie's papa did to his little boy. So Stevie tried with all the
strength of his brave, tender little heart to be patient with his
cousin.

But, as Mehitabel would say, "human nature is human nature;" they both
had quick tempers and strong wills; and for all Stevie's good
intentions, many a lively quarrel took place in the guest room, of
which they both fancied the old housekeeper knew nothing. She had
threatened that if Dave "abused" Stevie she would separate the boys at
once, even if she had to mount guard over the invalid herself; so with
Spartan-like fortitude both kept their grievances to themselves--Dave
because he disliked and was a little afraid of Miss Higginson, whom he
had nicknamed the "dragon," and Stevie because he had really grown very
fond of Dave, and knew how utterly dependent he was on him. But one
day Stevie completely lost his temper and got so angry that he declared
to himself he'd "just give up the whole thing."

Stevie had felt a little cross himself that morning, and Dave had been
unbearable; the consequence was the most serious quarrel they had ever
had. In a fit of violent rage