ted him not to fail; but really he could not
bear this much longer.

His uncle told him that nobody had thought of his having such pain as
this to bear: that he had often shown himself a brave little fellow; and
he did not doubt that, when this terrible day was over, he would keep up
his spirits through all the rest.

Hugh would have his uncle go down to tea. Then he saw a gown and shawl
through the curtain, and started up; but it was not his mother yet. It
was only Mrs Watson come to sit with him while his uncle had his tea.

Tea was over, and the younger boys had all gone up to bed, and the older
ones were just going when there was a ring at the gate. It was Mrs
Proctor; and with her the surgeon from London.

"Mother! Never mind, mother!" Hugh was beginning to say; but he
stopped when he saw her face,--it was so very pale and grave. At least,
he thought so; but he saw her only by fire-light; for the candle had
been shaded from his eyes, because he could not bear it. She kissed him
with a long, long kiss; but she did not speak.

"I wish the surgeon had come first," he whispered, "and then they would
have had my foot off before you came. When _will_ he come?"

"He is here,--they are both here."

"Oh, then, do make them make haste. Mr Tooke says I shall go to sleep
afterwards. You think so? Then we will both go to sleep, and have our
talk in the morning. Do not stay now,--this pain is _so_ bad,--I can't
bear it well at all. Do go, now, and bid them make haste, will you?"

His mother whispered that she heard he had been a brave boy, and she
knew he would be so still. Then the surgeons came up, and Mr Shaw.
There was some bustle in the room, and Mr Shaw took his sister
down-stairs, and came up again, with Mr Tooke.

"Don't let mother come," said Hugh.

"No, my boy, I will stay with you," said his uncle.

The surgeons took off his foot. As he sat in a chair, and his uncle
stood behind him, and held his hands, and pressed his head against him,
Hugh felt how his uncle's breast was heaving,--and was sure he was
crying. In the very middle of it all, Hugh looked up in his uncle's
face, and said,--

"Never mind, uncle! I can bear it."

He did bear it finely. It was far more terrible than he had fancied;
and he felt that he could not have gone on a minute longer. When it was
over, he muttered something, and Mr Tooke bent down to hear what it
was. It was--

"I can't think how the Red Indians bea