ut I didn't mind that. I told him to keep on till he made sure,"
Richard answered huskily, still turning his face from her. "But none of
those beastly legs and things fitted. He could not fix them so that I
could use them. It was horrid. They only made me more helpless than
before. You see--my--my feet are in the way."

The last words came to Katherine as a shock. The boy had never spoken
openly of his deformity, and in thus speaking he appeared to her to
rend asunder the last of those veils with which she had earnestly
striven to conceal the disgrace of it from him. She remained very
still, bracing herself to bear--the while slowly stroking his hand.
Suddenly the strong, young fingers closed hard on hers. Richard turned
his head.

"Mother," he said, "the doctor can't do anything for me. It's no use.
We've just got to let it be."

He set his teeth, choking a little, and drew the back of his right hand
across his eyes.

"It's awfully stupid; but somehow I never knew I should mind so much.
I--I never did mind much till just lately. It began--the minding, I
mean--the day Uncle Roger came home. It was the way he looked at me,
and hearing about things he'd done. And I had a beastly dream that
night. And it's all grown worse since."

He paused a minute, making a strong effort to speak steadily.

"I suppose it's silly to mind. I ought to be accustomed to it by this
time. I've never known anything else. But I never thought of all it
meant and--and--how it looked to other people till Helen was here and
wanted me to show her the house. I--I supposed every one would take it
for granted, as you all do here at home. And then I'd a hope Dr. Knott
might find a way to hide it and so help me. But--but he can't. That
hope's quite gone."

"My own darling," Katherine murmured.

"Yes, please say that!" he cried, looking up eagerly. "I am your
darling, mother, aren't I, just the same? Dr. Knott said something
about you just now. He's an awfully fine old chap. I like him. He
talked to me for a long time after we'd sent Winter away, and he was
ever so kind. And he told me it was bad for you too, you know--for both
of us. I'm afraid I had not thought much about that before. I've been
thinking about it since. And I began to be afraid that--that I might be
a nuisance,--that you might be ashamed of me, later, when I am grown
up, since I've always got to be like this, you see."

The boy's voice broke.

"Mother, mother, you'll never des