Robert had twice been caught on his stomach on the floor with a vast
volume open under his chin, and his studies had been traced by vile
thumb-marks.
"I know," said Robert.
Whenever anybody gave that child a piece of unsolicited information he
almost invariably replied, "I know."
"But hydrophobia!" cried Nellie. "How did you know about hydrophobia?"
"We had it in spellings last week," Robert explained.
"The deuce you did!" muttered Edward Henry.
The one bright facet of the many-sided and gloomy crisis was the very
obvious truth that Robert was the most extraordinary child that ever
lived.
"But when on earth did you get at the _Encyclopaedia_, Robert?" his
mother exclaimed, completely at a loss.
"It was before you came in from Hillport," the wondrous infant
answered. "After my leg had stopped hurting me a bit."
"But when I came in nurse said it had only just happened!"
"Shows how much _she_ knew!" said Robert, with contempt.
"Does your leg hurt you now?" Edward Henry inquired.
"A bit. That's why I can't go to sleep, of course."
"Well, let's have a look at it." Edward Henry attempted jollity.
"Mother's wrapped it all up in boracic wool."
The bed-clothes were drawn down and the leg gradually revealed. And
the sight of the little soft leg, so fragile and defenceless, really
did touch Edward Henry.
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