A Love Se
POOR Tom bore his severe pain heroically, and was resolute in not `telling of Mr Poulter more than was avoidable: the five-shilling piece remained a secret event to Maggie. But there was a terrible dread weighing on his mind - so terrible that he dared not even ask the question which might bring the fatal `yes - he dared not ask the surgeon or Mr Stelling `Shall I be lame, sir? He mastered himself so as not to cry out at the pain, but when his foot had been dressed, and he was left aloh Maggie seated by his bedside, the children sobbed together with their heads laid on the same pillow. Tom was thinking of himself walking about on crutches, like the wheelwrights son, and Maggie, who did not guess what was in his mind, sobbed for pany. It had not occurred to the surgeon or to Mr Stelling to anticipate this dread in Toms mind and to reassure him by hopeful words. But Philip watched the surgeon out of the house and waylaid Mr Stelling to ask the very question that Tom had not dared to ask for himself. `I beg your pardon, sir - but does Mr Askern say Tulliver will be lame?
`O no, O no, said Mr Stelling, `not permaly. Only for a little while.
`Did he tell Tulliver so, sir, do you think?
`No: nothing was said to him on the subject.
`Then may I go and tell him sir?
`Yes, to be sure: now you mention it, I daresay he may be troubling about that. Go to his bedroom, but be very quiet at present.
It had been Philips first thought when he heard of the act - `Will Tulliver be lame? It will be very hard for him if he is - and Toms hitherto unfiven offences were washed out by that pity. Philip felt that they were no longer in a state of repulsion but were being drawn into a on current of suffering and sad privation. His imagination did not dwell oward calamity and its future effe Toms life, but it made vividly present to him the probable state of Toms feeling: he had only lived fourteen years, but those years had, most of them, been steeped in the sense of a lot irremediably hard.
`Mr Askern says youll soon be all right again, Tulliver, did you Know? he said, rather timidly, as he stepped gently up to Toms bed. `Ive just been to ask Mr Stelling, and he says youll walk as well as ever again, by and by.
Tom looked up with that momentary stopping of the breath whies with a sudden joy; then he gave a long sigh, and turned his blue-grey eyes straight on Philips face as he had not done for a fht or more. As fgie, this intimation of a possibility she had not thought of before affected her as a rouble: the bare idea of Toms being always lame overpowered the assurahat such a misfortune was not likely to befall him; and she g to him and cried afresh.
`Dont be a little silly, Magsie, said Tom, tenderly, feeling very brave now. `I shall soo well.
`Goodby, Tulliver, said Philip, putting out his small, delicate hand, whi clasped immediately with his more substantial fingers.
`I say, said Tom `ask Mr Stelling to let you e and sit with me sometimes, till I get up again, Wakem - and tell me about Robert Bruce, you know.
After that, Philip spent all his time out of school-hours with Tom and Maggie. Tom liked to hear fighting stories as much as ever, but he insisted strongly on the fact that those great fighters who did so many wonderful things and came off unhurt, wore excellent armour from head to foot which made fighting easy work, he sidered. He should not have hurt his foot if