Alone in London

by Oliver Optic

  CHAPTER XIV.

  IN HOSPITAL.

  The pain Tony was suffering kept him partially conscious of what washappening to him. He knew that he was carried gently into a large hall,and that two or three persons came to look at him, to whom his new friendspoke in eager and rapid tones.

  "I know you do not take in accidents," he said; "but what could I dowith the little fellow? He told me he had no home, and that was all hecould say. You have two or three cots empty; and I'll double mysubscription if it's necessary, rather than take him away. Come, doctor,you'll admit my patient?"

  "I don't think I could send him away, Mr. Ross," answered another heartyvoice. "We must get him into bed as soon as possible."

  Tony felt himself carried up stairs into a large room, where there were anumber of small beds, with a pale little face lying on every pillow.There was a vacant cot at the end, and he was laid upon it, after havinghis tattered clothes taken off him. His new boots were gone altogether,having been left behind on the steps of the warehouse. His hands andknees, bruised with crawling along the frosty stones, were gently bathedwith a soft sponge and warm water. He was surrounded by kind faces,looking pitifully down upon him, and the gentleman who had brought himthere spoke to him in a very pleasant and cheering voice.

  "My boy," he said, "you have broken your leg in your fall; but the doctorhere, who is a great friend of mine, is going to mend it for you. It willgive you a good deal of pain for a few minutes; but you'll bear it like aman, I know."

  "Yes," murmured Tony; "but will you let me go as soon as it's done?"

  "You could not do that," answered Mr. Ross, smiling. "It will be someweeks before you will be well enough to go; but you will be very happyhere, I promise you."

  "Oh! but I must go!" cried Tony, starting up, but falling back again witha groan. "There's Dolly and Mr. Oliver,--they'll think I've run awayagain, and I were trying all I could to get back to 'em. She'll bewatching for me, and she'll fret ever so. Oh! Dolly, Dolly!"

  He spoke in a tone of so much grief, that the smile quite passed awayfrom the face of Mr. Ross, and he laid his hand upon his, and answeredhim very earnestly:

  "If you will tell me where they live," he said, "I will go at once andlet them know all about your accident; and they shall come to see youto-morrow if you are well enough to see them."

  Tony gave him very minute and urgent directions where to find oldOliver's shop; and then he resigned himself, with the patience andfortitude of most of the little sufferers in that hospital, to thenecessary pain he had to bear.

  It was Sunday afternoon when old Oliver and Dolly entered the hall of theChildren's Hospital and inquired for Tony. There was something about theold man's look of age and the little child's sweet face which found themfavour, even in a place where everybody was received with kindness. Anurse, who met them slowly climbing the broad staircase, turned back withthem, taking Dolly's hand in hers, and led them up to the room wherethey would find Tony. There were many windows in it, and the sunshine,which never shone into their own home, was lighting it up gaily. The cotswere all covered with white counterpanes, and most of the littlepatients, who had been asleep the night before, were now awake, andsitting up in bed, with little tables before them, which they could slideup and down as they wished along the sides of their cots. There was nosign of medicine, and nothing painful to see, except the wan faces of thechildren themselves. But Oliver and Dolly had no eyes but for Tony, andthey hurried on to the corner where he was lying. His face was verywhite, and his eyelids were closed, and his lips drawn in as if he werestill in pain. But at the very gentle and almost frightened touch ofDolly's fingers his eyes opened quickly, and then how his face changed!It looked as if all the sunshine in the room had centred upon it, and hisvoice shook with gladness.

  "Dolly hasn't had to fret for Tony this time," he said.

  "But Dolly will fret till Tony gets well again," she answered, claspingboth her small hands round his.

  "No, no!" said old Oliver; "Dolly's going to be a very good girl, andhelp grand-pa to mind shop till Tony comes home again."

  This promise of promotion partly satisfied Dolly, and she sat still uponOliver's knee beside Tony's cot, where his eyes could rest withcontentment and pleasure upon them both, though the nurse would not letthem talk much. When they went away she took them through the girls'wards in the story below; for the girls were more sumptuously lodged thanthe boys. These rooms were very lofty, with windows reaching to thecornice of the ceiling, and with grand marble chimney-pieces about thefireplaces; for in former times, the nurse told them, this had been agentleman's mansion, where gay parties and assemblies had been held; butnever had there been such a party and assembly as the one now in it.

  Old Oliver walked down between the rows of cots, with his little loveclinging shyly to his hand, smiling tenderly upon each poor little faceturned to look at them. Some of the children smiled back to him, andnodded cheerfully to Dolly, lifting up their dolls for her to see, andcalling to her to listen to the pretty tunes their musical boxes wereplaying. But others lay quietly upon their pillows half asleep, withbeautiful pictures hanging over their feeble heads,--pictures of Christcarrying a lamb in his arms; and again, of Christ with a little childupon his knee; and again, of Christ holding the hand of the young girlwho seemed dead, but whose ear heard his voice saying "Arise!" and shecame to life again in her father's and mother's house. The tears stood inold Oliver's eyes, and his white head trembled a great deal before he hadseen all, and given one of his tender glances to each child.

  "I wonder whatever the Lord 'ud have said," he exclaimed, "if there'dbeen such a place as this in his days! He'd have come here very often. Hedoes come, I know, and walks to and fro here of nights when the littleones are asleep, or may be awake through pain, and he blesses every oneof them. Ah, bless them! Bless the little children, and the good folkswho keep a place like this. Bless them everyone!"

  He felt reluctant to go away; but his time was gone, and the nurse wasneeded elsewhere. She kissed Dolly before she went, putting a biscuit inher hand, and told Oliver the house was open every Sunday afternoon forthe friends of the children, if he chose to come again; and then theywalked home with slow, short footsteps, and all the Sunday evening theytalked together of the beautiful place they had seen, and how happy Tonywould be in the Children's Hospital.