T H E F O L L O W I N G W E E K James awakened feeling clammy and a bitshaky At breakfast he had only a spoonful ofhis porridge Mother placed her hand on hisforehead

"You feel a bit warm, dear," she said. "I think you might be coming down with a cold."

James nodded, feeling too tired to argue. He spent the day in bed, sleeping on and off. By evening, he was running a fever and his throat was sore.

The next day, Mother called the doctor. He came and examined James, and confirmed that he had a cold. He prescribed some medicine and advised James to rest and drink plenty of fluids.

For the next few days, James stayed in bed, drinking hot tea and soup and taking his medicine. He felt miserable and bored, but gradually he began to feel better. His fever went down and his throat stopped hurting.

On the fifth day of his illness, James woke up feeling almost normal. He got dressed and went downstairs to the kitchen, where Mother was making breakfast.

"Good morning, James," she said, smiling. "How do you feel today?"

"Much better, thank you," James replied. "I think I'm ready to go back to school."

Mother looked at him doubtfully. "Are you sure you're up to it?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," James said firmly. "I don't want to miss any more school."

Mother sighed. "Well, if you insist," she said. "But take it easy, okay?"

James promised to be careful, and went off to school feeling excited and a bit nervous. He had missed a whole week of classes, and he knew he had a lot of catching up to do. But he was determined to do his best