Part 10 (1/2)

”I know you will be good, dear; but, you see, there isn't very much room here. Betty will have to sleep in your bed, and then there is Miss Clark, you know. So I want you to be a very good boy, and come home with me. Betty shall come down to see you the first thing in the morning, and you and Winifred will have such good times together.”

Jack began to cry.

”I'd rather not, indeed, I would much rather not,” he sobbed; ”I've never been away from mother and Betty at night. Mother always puts me to bed.”

Mrs. Hamilton looked distressed and rather helpless, but the doctor came to the rescue.

”Jack,” he said pleasantly, sitting down beside the little boy, ”what would you like to be when you grow up?”

”An artist,” said Jack promptly, and in his surprise at the question he forgot to cry. ”My father was an artist, and I want to be one too. My grandfather was a general, and I'd like to be a soldier, but I couldn't, you know, on account of not being able to walk.”

”I don't know about that,” said the doctor, smiling; ”fighting isn't the only part of a soldier's duty, you know. Wouldn't you like to begin by being a brave little soldier boy now?”

”How could I?” Jack inquired wonderingly.

”Well, one very important part of a soldier's duty is to obey orders.

Now we know that you want to stay here with your mother and Betty, but we feel that it will be much better for you to go home with Mrs.

Hamilton, who has very kindly offered to take you with her. Betty can be a great help to Miss Clark, the nurse, if she stays here. You would like to do something to help your mother get well, wouldn't you?”

”Yes, of course I would,” said Jack, with a brightening face.

”Well, the very best thing you can possibly do for her at this moment is to obey Mrs. Hamilton, and let me carry you downstairs to her rooms.”

Jack was silent for a moment; his face was twitching, and he clasped and unclasped his hands nervously. Then he looked up into the doctor's face.

”All right,” he said bravely, ”I'll go, only--only, may I kiss mother good-night first?”

”Your mother is asleep now, but you may look at her if you like. She is more comfortable than she was this morning. Shall I take you in to have a peep at her?”

Jack nodded--he was finding it rather hard work to speak just then--and the doctor lifted him in his arms and carried him into the bedroom.

Mrs. Randall was lying with closed eyes, still breathing heavily, but no longer talking in that strange, incoherent way that had frightened Betty so much in the morning. Miss Clark, in her nurse's uniform, sat at the foot of the bed.

”Good-night, mother,” Jack whispered very softly, and he kissed his hand to the motionless figure on the bed. ”I'll be a good boy. Good-night and pleasant dreams.”

The nurse rose, and, at a sign from Dr. Bell, followed them out of the room.

”This is Miss Clark, Jack,” the doctor said; ”she is taking splendid care of your mother.”

”Thank you very much,” said Jack, trying to smile. ”Won't you please be a little kind to Betty too? I think she'll miss me.”

”That I will, dear,” said the nurse heartily; and then she turned away hurriedly with a suspicious moisture in her eyes.

It cost Betty a great effort to see her little brother carried away from her, and she clung to him pa.s.sionately for a moment, feeling half inclined to protest against such a strange state of affairs. But she was a sensible little woman, and realizing the necessity in this case, she forced a smile, and the last words that Jack heard as the doctor carried him downstairs were Betty's cheerful a.s.surances that she should take good care of mother, and come to see him the very first thing in the morning.

It was no easy task for Jack to keep back the tears, but he did keep them back, though he had to bite his lip and to wink very hard indeed in order to do it. Dr. Bell did not fail to notice the effort, and he found himself beginning to like this small boy immensely.