Page:The little blue devil (IA littlebluedevil00mackiala).pdf/74

that knocked you down you must see that it is only common justice for us to look after you now———”

“I would rather go to a hospital,” the white lips reiterated. Then, lower still: “I must go, please. I haven’t any money.”

“Please don’t talk like that!” The tears were not far from Alison’s eyes by this time. She bent and took the hot hand that lay beside her in both her firm, cool ones.

“See here, little boy. My husband is most terribly distressed at having hurt you. He’s the kindest man in the world, and he feels dreadfully about it. So do I. And you don’t know how I love looking after sick people—but, first of all, tell me where you come from? Where are your folk? Is there anyone we can let know about you?”

More steadily came the answer:

“I haven’t any people belonging to me.”

“Then you’ve nothing to do but lie here and let us take care of you. As for money and all that, we’ll talk about it later, I promise you. Now I’m going to leave you. Try to sleep, and to-morrow we’ll talk some more. I shall love helping to nurse you.”

Alison disappeared. There was nothing to be done, and anyway, the room was going round and round in a horrible way and the noise in his ears was making him deaf. Tony closed his eyes, and knew very little of the night of pain and feverish dreams which followed. The nurse, an excellent machine, paid no attention to the broken sentences concerning “Bill,” “Baldwin,” and “Robertson,” or the illusions about sailing ships, droving, or nailing boxes. Morning brought full consciousness again, but pain and exhaustion continued for three or four days, and during that time Tony spoke scarcely at all.

Alison sat with him in the afternoons while the nurse was out, but the boy invariably lay with closed eyes, and very