But his old impatience soon began to return.

He grumbled every time the hour returned to take his drops, and he fairly rebelled against the food that was prepared for him--a little weak gruel, when his appetite was clamoring for a hearty meal of beef and potatoes! During his sickness, many little delicacies had been sent in to him by friends and neighbors, and from most of these too he was still debarred by the inexorable doctor.

He teased his mother to let him have things the doctor had forbidden, and was offended with her when she refused.

He thus made a great deal of unnecessary trouble and suffering for his mother, who had served him so devotedly through this sickness that her own health was giving way.
A day or two after his fever turned, Oscar wished to sit up in a chair, and begged very hard to be allowed to get up from the bed.
"Why, Oscar," said his mother, "you could not sit up two minutes, if I should put you in a chair.

You have no idea how weak you are." "No, I aint weak," replied Oscar; "I bet you I can walk across the room just as well as you can--you don't know how strong I 've grown within a day or two.