"Eight o'clock, and you 'll have to hurry if you don't want to be late for school." "Goodness!" He sprang out of bed precipitately, groaned with the pain from all his stiff muscles, and collapsed slowly and carefully on a chair.

"Why did n't you call me sooner ?" he growled.
"Father said to let you sleep." Joe groaned again, in another fashion Then his history-book caught his eye, and he groaned yet again and in still another fashion.
"All right," he called.

"Go on.

I 'll be down in a jiffy." He did come down in fairly brief order; but if Bessie had watched him descend the stairs she would have been astounded at the remarkable caution he observed and at the twinges of pain that every now and then contorted his face.

As it was, when she came upon him in the dining-room she uttered a frightened cry and ran over to him.
"What 's the matter, Joe ?" she asked tremulously.