APTER XIII.

David was busy with his books all the evening, and Matilda, however
much she wished for it, could get no talk with him. The opportunity did
not come before Sunday evening, when they were all at tea in the little
reception room. Then David took his cup and his piece of cake and came
to Matilda's side and sat down.

"Dr. Berger has been to see that little boy," he said.

"Has he! And what does he say?"

"Says nothing ails him but want."

"Want?" Matilda repeated.

"Want, of everything. Specially, want of food--food good for anything;
and of air."

"Want of air!" cried Matilda. "I don't wonder at it. I felt as if I
should be unable to breathe if we staid there much longer. And I was
strong and well. Just think, to anybody sick!--"

"He says, if he could be taken into the country he would begin to get
well immediately; and he asked Mrs. Binn if she had friends anywhere
out of the city."

"What did she say?"

"Said her father and mother and her aunt were all dead long ago; and
that he hadn't a friend in the city or out of it. And she gave up work
then for a minute or two, and sat down with her apron over her head;
the only time I have seen her stop work at all. I think it was her
apron, but I don't know; she hid her face in something. But she didn't
cry, Matilda; not a drop."

"What can we do, David?"

"I took him some grapes, you know."

"Yes. Could he eat them?"

"Had no sort of difficulty about that."

"What can we do, David?" Matilda repeated anxiously.

"I have thought of this. We might pay the woman for a week or two as
much as she gets by her washing and let her take him into her room and
put down her fire and make him comfortable. She cannot open her window;
but we can send them a decent bed and some clean coverings and some
good things to feed the fellow with. I spoke to Mrs. Binn about giving
up her washing; she said she couldn't afford to lose her customers. She
might manage it for a week or so, though."

"And then? A week or two would not cure him, David?"

"I doubt if any time would, in that air. Perhaps we can get him out
into the country by the end of the week or two."

"Oh, David!"--Matilda exclaimed after a few minutes of perplexed
thinking. What more she would have said was cut short. They had been
speaking very low, but those last two words had come out with a little
energy, and Judy caught them up.

"O David, what? You have been plotting mischief long enough, you