and. So I lay
still thinking of nothing, and knowing nothing except that I had found
my friend once more, and that he was more to me than ever.

Nothing makes one so sleepy as thinking of nothing at all; and long
before Jack returned from his visit to Billy I was asleep, and slept
soundly all through the night.

Next morning I woke invigorated in body and mind. Jack was up and about
before I opened my eyes. He was at my side in a moment as I moved.

"Well, you have had a sleep," he said, cheerily. "I have," replied I.
"But, Jack, where am I?"

"Oh, this is my lodgings," said he. "I'm pretty comfortable here."

I looked round the room. It was a poor, bare apartment, with only two
beds, a chair, a small table, and a washstand to furnish it. The table
was covered with papers and books.

"You've got a sitting-room too, I suppose?" I said, after taking the
room in.

He laughed.

"I find this quite as good a room to sit in as to lie in," said he, "for
the matter of that. But I have got the use of another room belonging to
a fellow-lodger. He's a literary man, and writes for the papers; but in
his spare moments he coaches me in Latin and Greek, in consideration of
which I give him half my room to sleep in."

"Whatever's he to do now when I'm here?" I asked.

"Oh, he's going to have a shake-down in his own room. You'll like him,
Fred; he's a very good-natured, clever man."

"How old?" I asked.

"About fifty, I should think. And I fancy he's seen a good deal of
trouble in his time, though I don't like to ask him."

"I say, Jack," I began in an embarrassed manner, "ever since that
time--"

"Shut up, now," said Jack, briskly. "The doctor says unless you obey me
in everything you're to go straight to the hospital. And one of my
rules is, you're to talk about nothing I don't approve of."

"I was only going to say--"

"There you go. I don't approve of what you were going to say. I
suppose you'll be interested to hear I reported your case to the firm
yesterday, and they were very sorry to hear of it, and told me there
were other fellows in the office they could have spared better. There's
a compliment!"

"Was Hawkesbury at the office?" I asked.

Jack's face clouded for a moment.

"Yes, Hawkesbury was there."

"You know he was with me when the accident happened?" I said, by way of
explanation.

"Oh," said Jack. "Hullo! here comes Billy. I hope, you won't be
horrified to have him to lo