'No good at football and cricket, but promises well,' said the boys, 'and can climb and jump anything, and use his fists, too.'
Ten days had passed, and Dr. Rayne, at work in his library, was disturbed by a knock, and the matron entered.
'I am sorry to interrupt you, sir, but it is about that new little boy, Paul Fife. I cannot get him to eat his dinner properly; he seems hungry at first, and then leaves off--later, I look at his plate and it is cleared. I find from some of the boys that he puts the greater part of the meat in his pocket, and, I suppose, throws it away. I thought I had better come to you.'
A timid step, and the small boy came shyly in.
'Come here, little man,' the Doctor called, pleasantly. 'I want to talk to you. You are not too big to get on my knee. No, I thought not. You see, you are one of my little boys now, and we all want to be as happy as possible. You are very thin; do they give you enough to eat?'
'Oh, yes, sir,' the child pressed his hands nervously together.
'And you like what you get, I hope. We have not Burmese and Indian cooks, you know.'
'And yet Miss Owen tells me you do not eat your dinner, but pocket it--I hope you don't waste and throw away good food, Paul.'
'No, sir--indeed, no,' the boy looked up earnestly.
'Then see that it doesn't happen again, for I don't want to punish you.'
'Oh, what shall I do--what shall I do?' and to the astonishment of the doctor, the child covered his face, and his whole body shook with sobs.
'Control yourself, dear boy. No, I cannot allow such crying, you will make yourself ill. That is better. Now tell me anything in confidence, and I will see what can be done.'
With an effort Paul gradually quieted, and then said: 'Yes, I will tell you; please--please, I didn't mean to be naughty, but I do love Boh so much. It is my dog; you saw him, and Uncle Ferrers took him away. I don't know how he got loose, but several days ago he came running up to me in the cricket field--he was so thin, and his ear was torn--I was eating my lunch bun, and I gave him all I had left. He just gobbled it. When some of the fellows came up, I sent Boh off, and he ran into the wood, but each day I whistle, when I can get by myself, and he comes; he is thinner than ever, so now I eat only part of my dinner even if I am hungry, but I save nearly all the meat for Boh. He is the oldest friend I have, for Uncle Ferrers says he came with me. He looks often as though he could speak and tell me whose little boy I used to be. Please, sir, I can do quite well with half a dinner, if he may have the other.'