Having Arnold travel with them now was, as Chris soon discovered, a refreshing change of atmosphere. Although Arnold Rudolph often lost his words in fits of excitement, he turned out to be an optimistic, chatty, and lively boy, and after the first two or three hours even Ian started relaxing and acting cheerier. Chris didn’t doubt for a second that this was probably because now Ian was someone’s center of attention: most of the questions Arnold asked were directed at Ian, and even though he attempted to look annoyed, he was clearly enjoying every minute of it. He answered with royal confidence and a growing ego.