Bill really was being awfully patient with him. He could hear him moving around from place to place, the volume of his voice rising and falling as the distance between them changed. If he thought about it, he did feel rather guilty for his own impatience over the stutter. So he listened more patiently now - if anything, he was rather getting used to the child's manner of speaking. It wasn't as grating on the ear as it had been at first.
"What sort of weird junk?" he queried, not sure why it mattered. Anything that might serve as a clue would be helpful at this point.
He could hear Bill heading back to him, the dark shape of him coming back into view. He gave a small shake of the head at his question. "No, no. Not anymore," he answered, feeling quite relieved that it was not that hellish institution. "Although it seemed a possibility just now," he added by way of explanation, without revealing too much.