e; but Tooke, more anxious even than Agnes to oblige, had
not courage for such an errand. Hugh snatched his crutches, and
declared he would go himself. But now Agnes gave way. She gathered up
her work, and left the room. Hugh little imagined where she went, this
cold, darkening December afternoon. She went to her own room, put on
her cloak, and walked up and down till tea was ready, without fire or
candle, and not very happy in her mind.

Meanwhile the boys basked before a glowing fire. Tooke began directly
to open his full heart.

"Was that true that your sister said at dinner, about your always
longing so to come to Crofton!"

"Yes."

"How sorry you must be that you came! How you must wish that you had
never seen me!"

"I knew that there would be things to bear, whenever I came; and
particularly while I was the youngest. Your father told me that: and
one of the things that made me want to come more than ever was his
telling me how you bore things when you were the youngest--being set on
the top of that wall, and so on."

"Indeed, indeed, I never meant to hurt you when I pulled your foot--I
suppose you are quite sure that it was I that gave the first pull? Are
you?"

"Why, yes; I am sure of that; and so are you: but I know very well that
you meant no harm; and that is the reason I would not tell. After what
you did about the sponge, I could not think you meant any harm to me."

Tooke could not remember anything about a sponge; and when he was told,
he thought nothing of it. He went on--

"Do you think you shall never tell anybody, as long as you live, who
pulled you first?"

"Never," said Hugh, "unless I tell it in my sleep; and that is not
likely, for I never think about it in the daytime,--or scarcely ever;
and when I can run about again, I dare say I shall never think of it at
all."

"But will you ever run about?"

"O yes! Finely, you will see. I shall begin first with a little
stick-leg, very light. Mother is going to send some for me to try.
When I am a man, I shall have one that will look like a real foot; but
that will not be so light as the one you will see me with after the
holidays. But you do not half know what I can do now, with my crutches.
Here, I will show you."

As he flourished about, and played antics, Agnes heard the pit-pat of
his crutches, and she thought she might as well have been there, if they
had told all their secrets, and had got to play. But the noise did n