ooking eagerly for some one. When she caught sight of the
children, she hurried forward to meet them. Bella soon recognised her, it
was Mrs. Carter, Billy Carter's mother, and she wondered why she was there
in her working-dress, and why her face was so white.

"Where's father?" asked Bella sharply. She never could tell afterwards
why that question sprung to her lips, or why with a sharp thrill of fear
she knew what the answer would be, before it was spoken.

"I've come to tell you, my dears,--your--your father's bad; there's been
an accident, and--and you've got to be very quiet."

"What is it? What's happened? What accident, oh, do tell!" cried Bella
in an agony of alarm at once. It seemed to her then that she had known of
this all along, or expected it.

"Is--he--dead?" gasped Tom, white and shaking.

Mrs. Carter seized on the question with some relief. It was one she could
answer with some comfort for them. "No, he isn't dead. He is hurt very
bad, but the doctor thinks he'll get over it--in time--with care.
He's got to go to the hospital, though. Here, let me help you, dear."
She took Bella's baskets from her, and putting her strong arm about the
child's trembling body, helped her along.

"What happened?" gasped Bella through her poor white, quivering lips.

"A wall fell and crushed him."

"Will he get well again?"

"Yes, dear, oh yes, for certain. We must all hope for the best, you know,
and we must be as brave and cheerful as we can. He's hurt a good bit, and
some bones are broken, but they can't tell exactly what's wrong until they
get him to hospital. Oh yes, dear, he'll get well again, and come home as
right as ever he was,--only it'll be a long time first, perhaps."

She was a capital person to have been sent to break the bad news to them,
for she herself was cheerful, and hopeful, and sympathetic, in spite of
the real dread at her heart. "We were hoping you would have got home
sooner," she added. "It seemed such a long time I had to wait for you.
He wants to see you before he starts."

The fact of his being taken from them came home to Bella then with a rush.
"Oh, they mustn't take him away!" she cried, almost hysterically.
"Why can't they let him stay at home? We can nurse him. I know he'd
rather----"

"Hush! hush!" said Mrs. Carter, "he'll hear you!" for they were nearly at
their own gate by that time. "Bella, dear, you want to do what's best for
your father, don't you, and you