, for it meant that his
dear ones were not in want--at any rate for the present--and the knowledge
lifted a heavy load from his mind. "Thank God for sending me such help in
my trouble," he murmured gratefully. "I am blessed with good children,
and no mistake!"

But Bella's happiness had almost vanished at the sight of the poor pale
face on the pillow, and the weak hands that he could scarcely raise.
She had, somehow, expected to see her father much better and more like
himself, but he looked so dreadfully, dreadfully ill and altered that an
awful fear swept over her and gripped her with an icy clutch.
In her anxiety she forgot her shyness, and went boldly up to one of the
nurses, who was standing a little way off. "Do you think father is really
better, miss?" she asked timidly, while every nerve quivered with dread of
the answer.

"He is getting on," the nurse answered cautiously. "It will be a long
time before he will be well, of course. You mustn't expect to see much
difference for a good while yet."

"You do think he will get well? You don't think he is--is----" Bella
could not finish her question, her lips quivered so. The nurse, who was
not supposed to talk about the patients to their friends, could not refuse
those frightened pleading eyes.

"Oh no, no! you mustn't be thinking of such a thing. He is going to get
well presently, and you will have him home for Christmas. What you have
to do is to keep his spirits up, and cheer him all you can, and the doctor
will cure him, and we will take care of him and send him home in time to
eat his Christmas dinner."

Bella smiled through her tears, and with the worst fear lifted from her
heart she turned to her father again. Till four o'clock they sat by him
and talked, and he listened contentedly. He was anxious to hear every
little detail of all they had been doing at home. He was too weak to talk
much, but he joined in now and then, and laughed a lot at the funny things
they told him. He was very much pleased when he heard about Rocket.

"I'm thankful you thought of it, my boy. I've been troubling about
Bella's having that long walk in all weathers, and the mornings and
evenings getting darker and darker. Rocket's a good steady donkey too,
I remember him; 'twas I advised poor old Mother Wintle to buy him," and he
laughed at the recollection.

The laugh raised Bella's spirits again, and their tongues wagged so fast
after that, that when the bell rang