ned boy.

"I can trust you, can I?" again demanded the voice outside the
half-closed door.

"Yes. I'm awake. But, say, Mary!"

"Well, what is it?"

"Did you say bath? Have I got to wash myself again? They washed me at
the hospital enough to kill. I won't be dirty again this winter."

Mary laughed. "The idea! Did you ever hear of a young gentleman as
didn't take his bath every day? Ridic'lous. Come, step lively. Here's
a bath-robe by the door used to belong to the other Lionel. Miss Lucy
says, wear it."

Towsley had seen such robes in the shop windows; and as he folded this
one about him and thrust his feet into the warm little slippers, also
provided, he had a curious feeling that he was thus investing himself
with his new life.

But this made him very unhappy. Odd! that a boy who had never had a
home should be homesick! Yet that was the real name of the miserable,
sinking sensation at his heart; and as he crossed the hall to the
bathroom, his face was the picture of woe.

However he had no idea of disobedience; and though it was with a
shiver of repugnance that he stepped into the porcelain tub, his
emotions underwent a sudden and radical change.

"Hi! this is nicer than swimming! And them towels--for me! Ain't they
prime! I wonder what Shiner would say if he could see 'em."

This was an unfortunate suggestion. It almost, though not quite,
overset the exhilaration of the bath, and as he stepped out upon the
rug he seemed to see the reproachful face of his mate looking up at
him and questioning:

"Why ain't I in it, too?"

"Why wasn't he? Why did I happen to be the one, just the only one, who
should skate bang into Miss Lucy and be taken in and done for? And I
couldn't skate, either. I was just a-learning. Pshaw! I wish I hadn't.
I wish--I wish. 'Bout this time, I s'pose, the fellows have near sold
out. There'll be some running on the down-town cars, though, and the
gents that go to business late; bankers and lawyers and such. I s'pose
somebody's got my route, already. If a chap gets out the line--there's
another hops into his place--spang! I wonder----"

But just there Lionel Towsley's reflections became so sombre that some
very unusual tears crept into his eyes. This fact restored him to a
sense of his own foolishness.

"Shucks! if I ain't crying! I--Towsley! Well, that beats all. I ain't
never done it since I can remember, only now I'm adopted I 'pear to be
losing all my snap. Is that the way with