At the house they said the boy had refused to let anyone come into the room.

    "You can't come in，" he said. "You mustn't get what I have."

    I went up to him and found him in exactly the position I had left him， white-faced， but with the tops of his cheeks flushed by the fever， staring still， as he had stared， at the foot of the bed.

    I took his temperature.

    "What is it？"

    "Something like a hundred，" I said. It was one hundred and two and four tenths.

    "It was a hundred and two，" he said.

    "Who said so？"

    "The doctor."

    "Your temperature is all right，" I said. "It's nothing to worry about."

    "I don't worry，" he said， "but I can't keep from thinking."

    "Don't think，" I said. "Just take it easy."

    "I'm taking it easy，" he said and looked straight ahead， He was evidently holding tight onto himself about something.

    "Take this with water."

    "Do you think it will do any good？"

    "Of course it will."

    I sat down and opened the Pirate book and commenced to read， but I could see he was not following， so I stooped.

    "About what time do you think I'm going to die？" he asked.

    "What？"

    "About how long will it be before I die？"

    "You aren't going die. What's the matter with you？ "

    "Oh， yes， I am， I heard him say a hundred and two."

    "People don't die with a fever of one hundred and two. That's a silly way to talk."

    "I know they do. At school in France the boys told me you can't live with forty-four degrees. I've got a hundred and two."

    He had been waiting to die all day， ever since nine o'clock in the morning.

    "You poor Schatz，" I said. "Poor old Schatz. It's like miles and kilometers. You aren't going to die. That's different thermometer. On that thermometer thirty-seven is normal. On this kind it's ninety-eight."

    "Are you sure？"

    "Absolutely，" I said， "It's like miles and kilometers. You know， like how many kilometers we make when we do seventy miles in the car？"

    "Oh，" he said.

    But his gaze at the foot of the bed relaxed slowly. The hold over himself relaxed too， finally， and the next day it was very slack and he cried very easily at little things that were of no importance.

    NEW WORDS

    shiver vi. shake， tremble， esp. from cold or fear 战栗，发抖

    capsule n.  胶囊（药）

    instruction n.  （often pl.） advice on how to do sth.； order 用法说明；指示

    instruct vt.

    purgative n.  a medicine to produce bowel movements 泻药

    acid a.  sour； marked by an abnormally high concentration of a sour substance 酸的；酸性物质过多的

    germ n.  病菌，细菌

    influenza n.  a contagious disease which is like a bad cold but more serious 流行性感冒

    epidemic n.& a. （disease） spreading rapidly among many people in the same place for a time 流行病（的）

    flu n.  （short for） influenza

    pneumonia n.  a serious illness with inflammation of one or both lungs 肺炎

    detached a.  indifferent； separate， not connected 超然的；冷漠的；分离的

    detach vt.

    pirate n.  a person who attacks and robs ships at sea 海盗

    papa n.  father

    lightheaded a.  unable to think clearly or move steadily as during fever or after drinking alcohol； dizzy and faint 神志不清的；眩晕的