"You're always a hintin' nowdays, anyhow," muttered Dick, as he
reached over and helped himself to the biggest sausage in the dish.
Mrs. Hunt sighed but made no answer, and the breakfast was eaten
mostly in silence.
Meantime, Tode running across the entry, had knocked on the door with
fingers fairly trembling with eagerness and excitement. Nan opening
it, gave a glad cry at sight of him, but the boy, with a nod, pushed
by her, and snatched up Little Brother who was lying on the bed.
The baby stared at him for an instant and then as Tode hugged him more
roughly than he realised, the little lips trembled and the baby began
to sob. That almost broke Tode's heart. He put the child down, crying
out bitterly,
"Oh Little Brother, _you_ ain't goin' to turn against me, sure?"
As he spoke he held out his hands wistfully, and the baby, now getting
a good look at him, recognised his favorite, and with his old smile
held out his arms to the boy, who caught him up again but more gently
this time, and sat down with him on his knee.
It was some minutes before Tode paid any attention to Nan's questions,
so absorbed was he with the child, but at length he turned to her and
told her where he had been and what had happened to him. She listened
to his story with an eager interest that pleased him.
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