[Hey, he's a comer! That more than qualifies him for Pearl's time. And besides, look at this sheepish smile, so harmless and unassuming, you seriously don't want to help this kid out?]
The hazards of having an ailing grandmama, I suppose. [LIE, but Pearl doesn't need to know that. All he knows is, he won't be able to garner much information from someone who's irritated with him. Playing the sympathy card, it is.]