`And,' she continued, `of course he says he's going to die--it wouldn't be him if he didn't. "I'm done for, my lass!" he said, looking at me. "Don't be so silly," I said to him. "You're not going to die of a broken leg, however badly it's smashed." "I s'll niver come out of 'ere but in a wooden box," he groaned. "Well," I said, "if you want them to carry you into the garden in a wooden box, when you're better, I've no doubt they will." "If we think it's good for him," said the Sister. She's an awfully nice Sister, but rather strict.'

Mrs Morel took off her bonnet. The children waited in silence.

`Of course, he is bad,' she continued, `and he will be. It's a great shock, and he's lost a lot of blood; and, of course, it is a very dangerous smash. It's not at all sure that it will mend so easily. And then there's the fever and the mortification--if it took bad ways he'd quickly be gone. But there he's a clean-blooded man, with wonderful healing flesh, and so I see no reason why it should take bad ways. Of course there's a wound--'

She was pale now with emotion and anxiety. The three children realized that it was very bad for their father, and the house was silent, anxious.

`But he always gets better,' said Paul after a while.

`That's what I tell him,' said the mother.

Everybody moved about in silence.

`And he really looked nearly done for,' she said. `But the Sister says that is the pain.'

Annie took away her mother's coat and bonnet.

`And he looked at me when I came away! I said: "I s'll have to go now, Walter, because of the train--and the children." And he looked at me. It seems hard.'

Paul took up his brush again and went on painting. Arthur went outside for some coal. Annie sat looking dismal. And Mrs Morel, in her little rocking-chair that her husband had made for her when the first baby was coming, remained motionless, brooding. She was grieved, and bitterly sorry for the man who was hurt so much. But still, in her heart of hearts, where the love should have burned, there was a blank. Now, when all her woman's pity was roused to its full extent, when she would have slaved herself to death to nurse him and to save him, when she would have taken the pain herself, if she could, somewhere far away inside her, she felt indifferent to him and to his suffering. It hurt her most of all, this failure to love him, even when he roused her strong emotions. She brooded awhile.

`And there,' she said suddenly, `when I'd got half-way to Keston, I found I'd come out in my working boots-- and look at them.' They were an old pair of Paul's, brown and rubbed through at the toes. `I didn't know what to do with myself, for shame,' she added.

In the morning, when Annie and Arthur were at school, Mrs Morel talked again to her son, who was helping her with her housework.

`I found Barker at the hospital. He did look bad, poor little fellow! "Well," I said to him, "what sort of a journey did you have with him?" "Dunna ax me, missis!" he said. "Ay," I said, "I know what he'd be." "But it wor bad for him, Mrs Morel, it wor that!" he said. "I know," I said. "At ivry jolt I thought my 'eart would ha' flown clean out o'my mouth," he said. "An' the scream 'e give sometimes! Missis, not for a fortune would I go through wi' it again." "I can quite understand it," I said. "It's a nasty job, though," he said, "an' one as'll be a long while afore it's right again." "I'm afraid it will," I said. I like Mr Barker--I do like him. There's something so manly about him.'

Paul resumed his task silently.