the pain tony was suffering kept him partially conscious of what was happening 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 friend spoke in eager and rapid tones.
"i know you do not take in accidents," he said; "but what could i do with the little fellow? he told me he had no home, and that was all he could say. you have two or three cots empty; and i'll double my subscription 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 hearty voice. "we must get him into bed as soon as possible."
tony felt himself carried up stairs into a large room, where there were a number 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 having his tattered clothes taken off him. his new boots were gone altogether, having been left behind on the steps of the warehouse. his hands and knees, bruised with crawling along the frosty stones, were gently bathed with a soft sponge and warm water. he was surrounded by kind faces, looking pitifully down upon him, and the gentleman who had brought him there spoke to him in a very pleasant and cheering voice.
"my boy," he said, "you have broken your leg in your fall; but the doctor here, who is a great friend of mine, is going to mend it for you. it will give you a good deal of pain for a few minutes; but you'll bear it like a man, 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 some weeks before you will be well enough to go; but you will be very happy here, i promise you."
"oh! but i must go!" cried tony, starting up, but falling back again with a groan. "there's dolly and mr. oliver,—they'll think i've run away again, and i were trying all i could to get back to 'em. she'll be watching 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 away from the face of mr. ross, and he laid his hand upon his, and answered him very earnestly:
"if you will tell me where they live," he said, "i will go at once and let them know all about your accident; and they shall come to see you to-morrow, if you are well enough to see them."
tony gave him very minute and urgent directions where to find old oliver's shop; and then he resigned himself, with the patience and fortitude of most of the little sufferers in that hospital, to the necessary pain he had to bear.
it was sunday afternoon when old oliver and dolly entered the hall of the children's hospital and inquired for tony. there was something about the old man's look of age and the little child's sweet face which found them favour, even in a place where everybody was received with kindness. a nurse, who met them slowly climbing the broad staircase, turned back with them, taking dolly's hand in hers, and led them up to the room where they 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 cots were all covered with white counterpanes, and most of the little patients, who had been asleep the night before, were now awake, and sitting up in bed, with little tables before them, which they could slide up and down as they wished along the sides of their cots. there was no sign of medicine, and nothing painful to see, except the wan faces of the children themselves. but oliver and dolly had no eyes but for tony, and they hurried on to the corner where he was lying. his face was very white, and his eyelids were closed, and his lips drawn in as if he were still in pain. but at the very gentle and almost frightened touch of dolly'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 his voice 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, clasping both her small hands round his.
"no, no!" said old oliver; "dolly's going to be a very good girl, and help grand-pa to mind shop till tony comes home again."
this promise of promotion partly satisfied dolly, and she sat still upon oliver's knee beside tony's cot, where his eyes could rest with contentment and pleasure upon them both, though the nurse would not let them talk much. when they went away she took them through the girls' wards in the story below; for the girls were more sumptuously lodged than the boys. these rooms were very lofty, with windows reaching to the cornice of the ceiling, and with grand marble chimney-pieces about the fireplaces; for in former times, the nurse told them, this had been a gentleman's mansion, where gay parties and assemblies had been held; but never 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 love clinging shyly to his hand, smiling tenderly upon each poor little face turned to look at them. some of the children smiled back to him, and nodded cheerfully to dolly, lifting up their dolls for her to see, and calling to her to listen to the pretty tunes their musical boxes were playing. but others lay quietly upon their pillows half asleep, with beautiful pictures hanging over their feeble heads,—pictures of christ tarrying a lamb in his arms; and again, of christ with a little child upon his knee; and again, of christ holding the hand of the young girl who seemed dead, but whose ear heard his voice saying "arise!" and she came to life again in her father's and mother's house. the tears stood in old oliver's eyes, and his white head trembled a great deal before he had seen all, and given one of his tender glances to each child.
"i wonder whatever the lord 'ud have said," he exclaimed, "if there'd been such a place as this in his days! he'd have come here very often. he does come, i know, and walks to and fro here of nights when the little ones are asleep, or may be awake through pain, and he blesses every one of them. ah, bless them! bless the little children, and the good folks who keep a place like this. bless them everyone!"
he felt reluctant to go away; but his time was gone, and the nurse was needed elsewhere. she kissed dolly before she went, putting a biscuit in her hand, and told oliver the house was open every sunday afternoon for the friends of the children, if he chose to come again; and then they walked home with slow, short footsteps, and all the sunday evening they talked together of the beautiful place they had seen, and how happy tony would be in the children's hospital.
