Alone in His Teacher's House (Marvin Redpost 4)

He quickly pulled out his hand, closed his mouth, and swallowed.

“Yum, delicious!” he said.

The dog food was hidden in his fist.

Waldo wasn’t fooled.

“Okay,” said Marvin. “I’ll really eat it this time. But then you have to, too.”

Waldo watched him.

Marvin touched the dog food with his tongue. It wasn’t horrible. It tasted a little like cereal.

He bit into it.

It was chewier than cereal. And a little bit gritty, like it had tiny seeds in it.

He chewed and swallowed.

It wasn’t gross. It wasn’t something he’d ask his mom to get for an after-school snack. But it really wasn’t too bad.

“Okay, your turn,” he said.

Waldo whined.

“Like this,” said Marvin. He crawled to Waldo’s bowl and picked out a piece of dog food with his teeth.

He chewed it up and swallowed. He smiled at Waldo. “Delicious!” he said.

Waldo lay his whiskered face against the floor.

Chapter 7

Liver

“Have you tried liver?” asked Dr. Charles.

“Yes, my mom made it once. But I didn’t like it,” said Marvin.

“I mean, for Waldo,” said the doctor.

“Oh.”

It was Monday afternoon. Waldo still hadn’t eaten, so Marvin called the vet on the telephone. Mrs. North had left the number.

Dr. Charles said that Waldo probably just missed Mrs. North.

He told Marvin what to do. Go to the store and buy a quarter pound of liver. Boil it in water for ten minutes. Then cut it up in little pieces.

“And serve it to him on a real plate,” Dr. Charles added. “Instead of his doggie bowl.”

That made Marvin smile. “Okay,” he said. “Thank you.”

“Waldo’s a funny dog,” said Dr. Charles. “He’s not sick. Just love-sick. Let me know what happens.”

Marvin hung up the phone, feeling a little bit better.