feel _very_ painful? You can't think how
constantly I've been thinking of you since the accident; for it was all
my fault. If I hadn't jumped up in such a passion, the pony wouldn't
have run away, and you wouldn't have been hurt. I'm so _very, very_
sorry, and I got dear papa to bring me here to tell you so, and to see
if we could do anything to make you well."

Again Bobby was rendered speechless, but his mind was active.

"Wot! I ain't dreamin', am I? 'As a hangel _really_ come to my bedside
all the vay from the Vest-end, an' brought 'er dear pa'--vich means the
guv'nor, I fancy--all for to tell me--a kid whose life is spent in
`movin' on'--that she's wery, wery, sorry I've got my leg broke, an'
that she's bin an' done it, an' she would like to know if she can do
hanythink as'll make me vell! But it ain't true. It's a big lie! I'm
dreamin', that's all. I've been took to hospital, an' got d'lirious--
that's wot it is. I'll try to sleep!"

With this end in view he shut his eyes, and remained quite still for a
few seconds, and when Di looked at his pinched and pale face in this
placid condition, the tears _would_ overflow their natural boundary, and
sobs _would_ rise up in her pretty throat, but she choked them back for
fear of disturbing her boy.

Presently the boy opened his eyes.

"Wot, are you there yet?" he asked.

"Oh yes. Did you think I was going away?" she replied, with a look of
innocent surprise. "I won't leave you now. I'll stay here and nurse
you, if papa will let me. I have slept once on a shake-down, when I was
forced by a storm to stay all night at a juv'nile party. So if you've a
corner here, it will do nicely--"

"My dear child," interrupted her amazed father, "you are talking
nonsense. And--do keep a little further from the bed. There may be--
you know--infection--"

"Oh! you needn't fear infection here, sir," said Mrs Frog, somewhat
sharply. "We are poor enough, God knows, though I _have_ seen better
times, but we keep ourselves pretty clean, though we can't afford to
spend much on soap when food is so dear, and money so scarce--so _very_
scarce!"

"Forgive me, my good woman," said Sir Richard, hastily, "I did not mean
to offend, but circumstances would seem to favour the idea--of--of--"

And here Wealth--although a bank director and chairman of several
boards, and capable of making a neat, if weakly, speech on economic laws
and the currency when occasion required--was d