She was at Dr. Denton's side now, her hands on his arm. "Please help us." Her eyes sought his. "I'm going to do my best," he answered. "Michel, did Peter say anything to you in the barn about going out to play?" The Irishman's face corrugated in an effort to remember. "No, doctor, sor. Not that I mind. He came out, the lad, to ask me what makes cars go fast." "What?" It was I who spoke. The foot race of two days before flashed suddenly into my mind, and the last thing I had heard Peter say, "But Jimmy, what makes you go so fast?" "What did you tell him?" I asked eagerly. "Well," Michel scratched his red head, "I told him the gasoline, Miss Mavis, just to keep him quiet." In a word I told the others about the race and Peter's disappointment. "You don't suppose," I finished, hesitating, "that he tried to...." "Drink gasoline?" concluded Dr. Benton thoughtfully. We all looked at Michel. "Well," he said slowly, "seems to me that I did see him foolin' around the tank. But I was busy, and when I looked up again, he was gone." "I seen him runnin'," interposed Loretta suddenly. "Runnin' down toward the gate. I remember now!" "Gasoline!" said Peter's mother pitifully, "Would ... would it _kill_ him, Doctor?" The doctor laughed outright. "Not by a long shot," he answered cheerfully. "And if he did take a drink of it, I'll wager it wasn't a very long drink. Now, Mrs. Goodrich, you and Loretta go home, and get some water heated, and fetch out a pot of mustard. I'm off with Wiggles to find the young athlete." And that's all, Diary, except that they did find him. It was Wiggles, really, who discovered him in a deserted barn half a mile up the road, sleeping peacefully and smelling to high heaven of the gas. Home they brought him, and it must go on record that though mustard and warm water had no effect whatsoever upon that cast iron little stomach, every time Peter coughed Dr. Denton swears that the gasoline fumes nearly knocked him over! "Did you really drink it, sweetheart?" asked his mother just before she tucked him in bed. "Course," answered Peter, wide-eyed. "Mike said it made the cars go fast, so I tried it. I didn't like it much," he confessed, "but golly, how I ran! I wish Jimmy could have seen me!" And on that, Peter fell asleep. Diary, I am nearly asleep too. Won't Sarah scold if she catches me! So I will postpone till tomorrow my account of the Lawn Tea--and--the Utterly New Man imminent in our midst! Now, aren't you curious? CHAPTER V The Very Next Day