After school time Thora came to me and told me of her brother's
return from the sealing expedition; of how he rushed into the house
with his nose bleeding. And she explained that, as they sat at
their porridge in the morning, she had noticed the purple patches
under his eyes and the swelling of the bridge of his nose.
I own that I felt extremely sorry for having inflicted these
injuries upon Tom, nor could I wholly hide from Thora the actual
cause of them. But when Mr. Drever asked about him Thora knew as
little of that cause as I did of the effect of my blow upon Tom's
nose.
Notwithstanding the many little quarrels between her brother and
herself, Thora was too generous to be glad at his misfortune; but I
fancied there was a glance of satisfaction in her eyes when I said
to her:
"It was a fight that we had, Thora. Tom and I quarrelled over some
old siller things we found across at Skaill when we were at the
sealing."
"And which of ye beat the other, Halcro?" she asked, with almost a
boy's interest in a stand-up fight. "But I needna ask that, surely;
for I can see fine that Tom had the worst of it. If it werena for
that wee scratch on your cheek I wouldn't hae kenned ye had been in
a fight; but as for Tom, why, he's just a perfect sight to look
upon!"
I need hardly say that my quarrel with Kinlay did in no wise alter
the friendship that existed between Thora and me.
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