Matthew listened carefully and then nodded critically. “And the medicine works?”
“I think so.”
“Does it taste bad?”
“Yes,” Alice said plainly. “But I think it’s worth it.”
Matthew looked at Alice a minute more, like he was trying to figure out if she was lying or not. But Alice was a very earnest girl, so he must have been able to tell she wasn’t lying.
Looking away from her, he focused on me. “I’d like the medicine please.”
“Of course,” I said at once, and immediately retrieved it from my bag. Holding it in hand, I walked toward him and then gave it to him.
His dosage was slightly more than Alice’s, as he was older, but it was otherwise exactly the same.
At this point he didn’t hesitate. He simply opened the bottle and downed the whole thing, without even needing me to tell him h
