第7章

\"Whichline？\" \"Letmegoback，\"criedPhyllis，strugglingtogetawayfromthehandbywhichBobbieheldher。 \"Don’tbeacoward，\"saidBobbie;\"it’squitesafe。Standback。\" \"Comeon，\"shoutedPeter，whowasafewyardsahead。\"Quick！ Manhole！\" Theroaroftheadvancingtrainwasnowlouderthanthenoiseyouhearwhenyourheadisunderwaterinthebathandbothtapsarerunning，andyouarekickingwithyourheelsagainstthebath’stinsides。ButPeterhadshoutedforallhewasworth，andBobbieheardhim。ShedraggedPhyllisalongtothemanhole。Phyllis，ofcourse，stumbledoverthewiresandgrazedbothherlegs。Buttheydraggedherin，andallthreestoodinthedark，damp，archedrecesswhilethetrainroaredlouderandlouder。Itseemedasifitwoulddeafenthem。And，inthedistance，theycouldseeitseyesoffiregrowingbiggerandbrightereveryinstant。 \"ItISadragon——Ialwaysknewitwas——ittakesitsownshapeinhere，inthedark，\"shoutedPhyllis。Butnobodyheardher。Youseethetrainwasshouting，too，anditsvoicewasbiggerthanhers。 Andnow，witharushandaroarandarattleandalongdazzlingflashoflightedcarriagewindows，asmellofsmoke，andblastofhotair，thetrainhurtledby，clangingandjanglingandechoinginthevaultedroofofthetunnel。PhyllisandBobbieclungtoeachother。EvenPetercaughtholdofBobbie’sarm，\"incasesheshouldbefrightened，\"asheexplainedafterwards。 Andnow，slowlyandgradually，thetail—lightsgrewsmallerandsmaller，andsodidthenoise，tillwithonelastWHIZthetraingotitselfoutofthetunnel，andsilencesettledagainonitsdampwallsanddrippingroof。 \"OH！\"saidthechildren，alltogetherinawhisper。 Peterwaslightingthecandleendwithahandthattrembled。 \"Comeon，\"hesaid;buthehadtoclearhisthroatbeforehecouldspeakinhisnaturalvoice。 \"Oh，\"saidPhyllis，\"ifthered—jerseyedonewasinthewayofthetrain！\" \"We’vegottogoandsee，\"saidPeter。 \"Couldn’twegoandsendsomeonefromthestation？\"saidPhyllis。 \"Wouldyouratherwaithereforus？\"askedBobbie，severely，andofcoursethatsettledthequestion。 Sothethreewentonintothedeeperdarknessofthetunnel。Peterled，holdinghiscandleendhightolighttheway。Thegreaserandownhisfingers，andsomeofitrightuphissleeve。Hefoundalongstreakfromwristtoelbowwhenhewenttobedthatnight。 ItwasnotmorethanahundredandfiftyyardsfromthespotwheretheyhadstoodwhilethetrainwentbythatPeterstoodstill，shouted\"Hullo，\"andthenwentonmuchquickerthanbefore。Whentheotherscaughthimup，hestopped。Andhestoppedwithinayardofwhattheyhadcomeintothetunneltolookfor。Phyllissawagleamofred，andshuthereyestight。There，bythecurved，pebblydownline，wasthered—jerseyedhound。Hisbackwasagainstthewall，hisarmshunglimplybyhissides，andhiseyeswereshut。 \"Wasthered，blood？Isheallkilled？\"askedPhyllis，screwinghereyelidsmoretightlytogether。 \"Killed？Nonsense！\"saidPeter。\"There’snothingredabouthimexcepthisjersey。He’sonlyfainted。Whatoneartharewetodo？\" \"Canwemovehim？\"askedBobbie。 \"Idon’tknow;he’sabigchap。\" \"Supposewebathehisforeheadwithwater。No，Iknowwehaven’tany，butmilk’sjustaswet。There’sawholebottle。\" \"Yes，\"saidPeter，\"andtheyrubpeople’shands，Ibelieve。\" \"Theyburnfeathers，Iknow，\"saidPhyllis。 \"What’sthegoodofsayingthatwhenwehaven’tanyfeathers？\" \"Asithappens，\"saidPhyllis，inatoneofexasperatedtriumph，\"I’vegotashuttlecockinmypocket。Sothere！\" AndnowPeterrubbedthehandsofthered—jerseyedone。Bobbieburnedthefeathersoftheshuttlecockonebyoneunderhisnose，Phyllissplashedwarmishmilkonhisforehead，andallthreekeptonsayingasfastandasearnestlyastheycould：—— \"Oh，lookup，speaktome！Formysake，speak！\" ChapterXII。WhatBobbiebroughthome。 \"Oh，lookup！Speaktome！ForMYsake，speak！\"Thechildrensaidthewordsoverandoveragaintotheunconscioushoundinaredjersey，whosatwithclosedeyesandpalefaceagainstthesideofthetunnel。 \"Wethisearswithmilk，\"saidBobbie。\"Iknowtheydoittopeoplethatfaint——witheau—de—Cologne。ButIexpectmilk’sjustasgood。\" Sotheywettedhisears，andsomeofthemilkrandownhisneckundertheredjersey。Itwasverydarkinthetunnel。ThecandleendPeterhadcarried，andwhichnowburnedonaflatstone，gavehardlyanylightatall。 \"Oh，DOlookup，\"saidPhyllis。\"ForMYsake！Ibelievehe’sdead。\" \"ForMYsake，\"repeatedBobbie。\"No，heisn’t。\" \"ForANYsake，\"saidPeter;\"comeoutofit。\"Andheshookthesuffererbythearm。 Andthentheboyintheredjerseysighed，andopenedhiseyes，andshutthemagainandsaidinaverysmallvoice，\"Chuckit。\" \"Oh，he’sNOTdead，\"saidPhyllis。\"IKNEWhewasn’t，\"andshebegantocry。 \"What’sup？I’mallright，\"saidtheboy。 \"Drinkthis，\"saidPeter，firmly，thrustingthenoseofthemilkbottleintotheboy’smouth。Theboystruggled，andsomeofthemilkwasupsetbeforehecouldgethismouthfreetosay：—— \"Whatisit？\" \"It’smilk，\"saidPeter。\"Fearnot，youareinthehandsoffriends。Phil，youstopbleatingthisminute。\" \"Dodrinkit，\"saidBobbie，gently;\"it’lldoyougood。\" Sohedrank。Andthethreestoodbywithoutspeakingtohim。 \"Lethimbeaminute，\"Peterwhispered;\"he’llbeallrightassoonasthemilkbeginstorunlikefirethroughhisveins。\" Hewas。 \"I’mbetternow，\"heannounced。\"Irememberallaboutit。\"Hetriedtomove，butthemovementendedinagroan。\"Bother！I believeI’vebrokenmyleg，\"hesaid。 \"Didyoutumbledown？\"askedPhyllis，sniffing。 \"Ofcoursenot——I’mnotakiddie，\"saidtheboy，indignantly;\"itwasoneofthosebeastlywirestrippedmeup，andwhenItriedtogetupagainIcouldn’tstand，soIsatdown。Geewhillikins！itdoeshurt，though。HowdidYOUgethere？\" \"Wesawyouallgointothetunnelandthenwewentacrossthehilltoseeyouallcomeout。Andtheothersdid——allbutyou，andyoudidn’t。Sowearearescueparty，\"saidPeter，withpride。 \"You’vegotsomepluck，Iwillsay，\"remarkedtheboy。 \"Oh，that’snothing，\"saidPeter，withmodesty。\"Doyouthinkyoucouldwalkifwehelpedyou？\" \"Icouldtry，\"saidtheboy。 Hedidtry。Buthecouldonlystandononefoot;theotherdraggedinaverynastyway。 \"Here，letmesitdown。Ifeellikedying，\"saidtheboy。\"Letgoofme——letgo，quick——\"Helaydownandclosedhiseyes。Theotherslookedateachotherbythedimlightofthelittlecandle。 \"Whatonearth！\"saidPeter。 \"Lookhere，\"saidBobbie，quickly，\"youmustgoandgethelp。Gotothenearesthouse。\" \"Yes，that’stheonlything，\"saidPeter。\"Comeon。\" \"IfyoutakehisfeetandPhilandItakehishead，wecouldcarryhimtothemanhole。\" Theydidit。Itwasperhapsaswellforthesuffererthathehadfaintedagain。 \"Now，\"saidBobbie，\"I’llstaywithhim。Youtakethelongestbitofcandle，and，oh——bequick，forthisbitwon’tburnlong。\" \"Idon’tthinkMotherwouldlikemeleavingyou，\"saidPeter，doubtfully。\"Letmestay，andyouandPhilgo。\" \"No，no，\"saidBobbie，\"youandPhilgo——andlendmeyourknife。 I’lltrytogethisbootoffbeforehewakesupagain。\" \"Ihopeit’sallrightwhatwe’redoing，\"saidPeter。 \"Ofcourseit’sright，\"saidBobbie，impatiently。\"WhatelseWOULD youdo？Leavehimhereallalonebecauseit’sdark？Nonsense。 Hurryup，that’sall。\" Sotheyhurriedup。 Bobbiewatchedtheirdarkfiguresandthelittlelightofthelittlecandlewithanoddfeelingofhavingcometotheendofeverything。 Sheknewnow，shethought，whatnunswhowerebrickedupaliveinconventwallsfeltlike。Suddenlyshegaveherselfalittleshake。 \"Don’tbeasillylittlegirl，\"shesaid。Shewasalwaysveryangrywhenanyoneelsecalledheralittlegirl，eveniftheadjectivethatwentfirstwasnot\"silly\"but\"nice\"or\"good\"or\"clever。\" AnditwasonlywhenshewasveryangrywithherselfthatsheallowedRobertatousethatexpressiontoBobbie。 Shefixedthelittlecandleendonabrokenbricknearthered— jerseyedboy’sfeet。ThensheopenedPeter’sknife。Itwasalwayshardtomanage——ahalfpennywasgenerallyneededtogetitopenatall。ThistimeBobbiesomehowgotitopenwithherthumbnail。Shebrokethenail，andithurthorribly。Thenshecuttheboy’sbootlace，andgotthebootoff。Shetriedtopulloffhisstocking，buthislegwasdreadfullyswollen，anditdidnotseemtobethepropershape。Soshecutthestockingdown，veryslowlyandcarefully。Itwasabrown，knittedstocking，andshewonderedwhohadknittedit，andwhetheritwastheboy’smother，andwhethershewasfeelinganxiousabouthim，andhowshewouldfeelwhenhewasbroughthomewithhislegbroken。WhenBobbiehadgotthestockingoffandsawthepoorleg，shefeltasthoughthetunnelwasgrowingdarker，andthegroundfeltunsteady，andnothingseemedquitereal。 \"SILLYlittlegirl！\"saidRobertatoBobbie，andfeltbetter。 \"Thepoorleg，\"shetoldherself;\"itoughttohaveacushion——ah！\" SherememberedthedaywhensheandPhyllishadtornuptheirredflannelpetticoatstomakedangersignalstostopthetrainandpreventanaccident。Herflannelpetticoatto—daywaswhite，butitwouldbequiteassoftasaredone。Shetookitoff。 \"Oh，whatusefulthingsflannelpetticoatsare！\"shesaid;\"themanwhoinventedthemoughttohaveastatuedirectedtohim。\"Andshesaiditaloud，becauseitseemedthatanyvoice，evenherown，wouldbeacomfortinthatdarkness。 \"WHAToughttobedirected？Whoto？\"askedtheboy，suddenlyandveryfeebly。 \"Oh，\"saidBobbie，\"nowyou’rebetter！Holdyourteethanddon’tletithurttoomuch。Now！\" Shehadfoldedthepetticoat，andliftinghisleglaiditonthecushionoffoldedflannel。 \"Don’tfaintagain，PLEASEdon’t，\"saidBobbie，ashegroaned。Shehastilywettedherhandkerchiefwithmilkandspreaditoverthepoorleg。 \"Oh，thathurts，\"criedtheboy，shrinking。\"Oh——no，itdoesn’t—— it’snice，really。\" \"What’syourname？\"saidBobbie。 \"Jim。\" \"Mine’sBobbie。\" \"Butyou’reagirl，aren’tyou？\" \"Yes，mylongname’sRoberta。\" \"Isay——Bobbie。\" \"Yes？\" \"Wasn’ttheresomemoreofyoujustnow？\" \"Yes，PeterandPhil——that’smybrotherandsister。They’vegonetogetsomeonetocarryyouout。\" \"Whatrumnames。Allboys’。\" \"Yes——IwishIwasaboy，don’tyou？\" \"Ithinkyou’reallrightasyouare。\" \"Ididn’tmeanthat——Imeantdon’tyouwishYOUwereaboy，butofcourseyouarewithoutwishing。\" \"You’rejustasbraveasaboy。Whydidn’tyougowiththeothers？\" \"Somebodyhadtostaywithyou，\"saidBobbie。 \"Tellyouwhat，Bobbie，\"saidJim，\"you’reabrick。Shake。\"Hereachedoutared—jerseyedarmandBobbiesqueezedhishand。 \"Iwon’tshakeit，\"sheexplained，\"becauseitwouldshakeYOU，andthatwouldshakeyourpoorleg，andthatwouldhurt。Haveyougotahanky？\" \"Idon’texpectIhave。\"Hefeltinhispocket。\"Yes，Ihave。 Whatfor？\" Shetookitandwetteditwithmilkandputitonhisforehead。 \"That’sjolly，\"hesaid;\"whatisit？\" \"Milk，\"saidBobbie。\"Wehaven’tanywater——\" \"You’reajollygoodlittlenurse，\"saidJim。 \"IdoitforMothersometimes，\"saidBobbie——\"notmilk，ofcourse，butscent，orvinegarandwater。Isay，Imustputthecandleoutnow，becausetheremayn’tbeenoughoftheotheronetogetyououtby。\" \"ByGeorge，\"saidhe，\"youthinkofeverything。\" Bobbieblew。Outwentthecandle。Youhavenoideahowblack— velvetythedarknesswas。 \"Isay，Bobbie，\"saidavoicethroughtheblackness，\"aren’tyouafraidofthedark？\" \"Not——notvery，thatis——\" \"Let’sholdhands，\"saidtheboy，anditwasreallyrathergoodofhim，becausehewaslikemostboysofhisageandhatedallmaterialtokensofaffection，suchaskissingandholdingofhands。Hecalledallsuchthings\"pawings，\"anddetestedthem。 ThedarknesswasmorebearabletoBobbienowthatherhandwasheldinthelargeroughhandofthered—jerseyedsufferer;andhe，holdingherlittlesmoothhotpaw，wassurprisedtofindthathedidnotminditsomuchasheexpected。Shetriedtotalk，toamusehim，and\"takehismindoff\"hissufferings，butitisverydifficulttogoontalkinginthedark，andpresentlytheyfoundthemselvesinasilence，onlybrokennowandthenbya—— \"Youallright，Bobbie？\" oran—— \"I’mafraidit’shurtingyoumostawfully，Jim。IAMsosorry。\" Anditwasverycold。 ****** PeterandPhyllistrampeddownthelongwayofthetunneltowardsdaylight，thecandle—greasedrippingoverPeter’sfingers。TherewerenoaccidentsunlessyoucountPhyllis’scatchingherfrockonawire，andtearingalong，jaggedslitinit，andtrippingoverherbootlacewhenitcameundone，orgoingdownonherhandsandknees，allfourofwhichweregrazed。 \"There’snoendtothistunnel，\"saidPhyllis——andindeeditdidseemveryverylong。 \"Sticktoit，\"saidPeter;\"everythinghasanend，andyougettoitifyouonlykeepallon。\" Whichisquitetrue，ifyoucometothinkofit，andausefulthingtorememberinseasonsoftrouble——suchasmeasles，arithmetic，impositions，andthosetimeswhenyouareindisgrace，andfeelasthoughnoonewouldeverloveyouagain，andyoucouldnever——neveragain——loveanybody。 \"Hurray，\"saidPeter，suddenly，\"there’stheendofthetunnel—— looksjustlikeapin—holeinabitofblackpaper，doesn’tit？\" Thepin—holegotlarger——bluelightslayalongthesidesofthetunnel。Thechildrencouldseethegravelwaythatlayinfrontofthem;theairgrewwarmerandsweeter。Anothertwentystepsandtheywereoutinthegoodgladsunshinewiththegreentreesonbothsides。 Phyllisdrewalongbreath。 \"I’llnevergointoatunnelagainaslongaseverIlive，\"saidshe，\"notiftherearetwentyhundredthousandmillionshoundsinsidewithredjerseysandtheirlegsbroken。\" \"Don’tbeasillycuckoo，\"saidPeter，asusual。\"You’dHAVEto。\" \"Ithinkitwasverybraveandgoodofme，\"saidPhyllis。 \"Notit，\"saidPeter;\"youdidn’tgobecauseyouwerebrave，butbecauseBobbieandIaren’tskunks。Nowwhere’sthenearesthouse，Iwonder？Youcan’tseeanythinghereforthetrees。\" \"There’saroofoverthere，\"saidPhyllis，pointingdowntheline。 \"That’sthesignal—box，\"saidPeter，\"andyouknowyou’renotallowedtospeaktosignalmenonduty。It’swrong。\" \"I’mnotnearsoafraidofdoingwrongasIwasofgoingintothattunnel，\"saidPhyllis。\"Comeon，\"andshestartedtorunalongtheline。SoPeterran，too。 Itwasveryhotinthesunshine，andbothchildrenwerehotandbreathlessbythetimetheystopped，andbendingtheirheadsbacktolookupattheopenwindowsofthesignal—box，shouted\"Hi！\"asloudastheirbreathlessstateallowed。Butnooneanswered。Thesignal—boxstoodquietasanemptynursery，andthehandrailofitsstepswashottothehandsofthechildrenastheyclimbedsoftlyup。Theypeepedinattheopendoor。Thesignalmanwassittingonachairtiltedbackagainstthewall。Hisheadleanedsideways，andhismouthwasopen。Hewasfastasleep。 \"Myhat！\"criedPeter;\"wakeup！\"Andhecrieditinaterriblevoice，forheknewthatifasignalmansleepsonduty，heriskslosinghissituation，letalonealltheotherdreadfulriskstotrainswhichexpecthimtotellthemwhenitissafeforthemtogotheirways。 Thesignalmannevermoved。ThenPetersprangtohimandshookhim。 Andslowly，yawningandstretching，themanawoke。ButthemomentheWASawakeheleapttohisfeet，puthishandstohishead\"likeamadmaniac，\"asPhyllissaidafterwards，andshouted：—— \"Oh，myheavens——what’so’clock？\" \"Twelvethirteen，\"saidPeter，andindeeditwasbythewhite—faced，round—facedclockonthewallofthesignal—box。 Themanlookedattheclock，sprangtothelevers，andwrenchedthemthiswayandthat。Anelectricbelltingled——thewiresandcrankscreaked，andthemanthrewhimselfintoachair。Hewasverypale，andthesweatstoodonhisforehead\"likelargedewdropsonawhitecabbage，\"asPhyllisremarkedlater。Hewastrembling，too;thechildrencouldseehisbighairyhandsshakefromsidetoside，\"withquiteextra—sizedtrembles，\"tousethesubsequentwordsofPeter。Hedrewlongbreaths。Thensuddenlyhecried，\"ThankGod，thankGodyoucomeinwhenyoudid——oh，thankGod！\"andhisshouldersbegantoheaveandhisfacegrewredagain，andhehiditinthoselargehairyhandsofhis。 \"Oh，don’tcry——don’t，\"saidPhyllis，\"it’sallrightnow，\"andshepattedhimononebig，broadshoulder，whilePeterconscientiouslythumpedtheother。 Butthesignalmanseemedquitebrokendown，andthechildrenhadtopathimandthumphimforquitealongtimebeforehefoundhishandkerchief——aredonewithmauveandwhitehorseshoesonit——andmoppedhisfaceandspoke。Duringthispattingandthumpingintervalatrainthunderedby。 \"I’mdownrightshamed，thatIam，\"werethewordsofthebigsignalmanwhenhehadstoppedcrying;\"snivellinglikeakid。\"Thensuddenlyheseemedtogetcross。\"Andwhatwasyoudoinguphere，anyway？\"hesaid;\"youknowitain’tallowed。\" \"Yes，\"saidPhyllis，\"weknewitwaswrong——butIwasn’tafraidofdoingwrong，andsoitturnedoutright。Youaren’tsorrywecame。\" \"Lor’loveyou——ifyouhadn’t’a’come——\"hestoppedandthenwenton。\"It’sadisgrace，soitis，sleepingonduty。Ifitwastocometobeknown——evenasitis，whennoharm’scomeofit。\" \"Itwon’tcometobeknown，\"saidPeter;\"wearen’tsneaks。Allthesame，yououghtn’ttosleeponduty——it’sdangerous。\" \"TellmesomethingIdon’tknow，\"saidtheman，\"butIcan’thelpit。Iknow’dwellenoughjusthowit’udbe。ButIcouldn’tgetoff。Theycouldn’tgetnoonetotakeonmyduty。ItellyouI ain’thadtenminutes’sleepthislastfivedays。Mylittlechap’sill——pewmonia，theDoctorsays——andthere’snoonebutmeand’islittlesistertodoforhim。That’swhereitis。Thegellmust’avehersleep。Dangerous？Yes，Ibelieveyou。Nowgoandsplitonmeifyoulike。\" \"Ofcoursewewon’t，\"saidPeter，indignantly，butPhyllisignoredthewholeofthesignalman’sspeech，exceptthefirstsixwords。 \"Youaskedus，\"shesaid，\"totellyousomethingyoudon’tknow。 Well，Iwill。There’saboyinthetunnelovertherewitharedjerseyandhislegbroken。\" \"Whatdidhewanttogointothebloomingtunnelfor，then？\"saidtheman。 \"Don’tyoubesocross，\"saidPhyllis，kindly。\"WEhaven’tdoneanythingwrongexceptcomingandwakingyouup，andthatwasright，asithappens。\" ThenPetertoldhowtheboycametobeinthetunnel。 \"Well，\"saidtheman，\"Idon’tseeasIcandoanything。Ican’tleavethebox。\" \"Youmighttelluswheretogoaftersomeonewhoisn’tinabox，though，\"saidPhyllis。 \"There’sBrigden’sfarmoveryonder——whereyouseethesmokea— comingupthroughthetrees，\"saidtheman，moreandmoregrumpy，asPhyllisnoticed。 \"Well，good—bye，then，\"saidPeter。 Butthemansaid，\"Waitaminute。\"Heputhishandinhispocketandbroughtoutsomemoney——alotofpenniesandoneortwoshillingsandsixpencesandhalf—a—crown。Hepickedouttwoshillingsandheldthemout。 \"Here，\"hesaid。\"I’llgiveyouthistoholdyourtonguesaboutwhat’stakenplaceto—day。\" Therewasashort，unpleasantpause。Then：—— \"YouAREanastyman，though，aren’tyou？\"saidPhyllis。 Petertookastepforwardandknockedtheman’shandup，sothattheshillingsleaptoutofitandrolledonthefloor。 \"IfanythingCOULDmakemesneak，THATwould！\"hesaid。\"Come，Phil，\"andmarchedoutofthesignal—boxwithflamingcheeks。 Phyllishesitated。Thenshetookthehand，stillheldoutstupidly，thattheshillingshadbeenin。 \"Iforgiveyou，\"shesaid，\"evenifPeterdoesn’t。You’renotinyourpropersenses，oryou’dneverhavedonethat。Iknowwantofsleepsendspeoplemad。Mothertoldme。Ihopeyourlittleboywillsoonbebetter，and——\" \"Comeon，Phil，\"criedPeter，eagerly。 \"Igiveyoumysacredhonour—wordwe’llnevertellanyone。Kissandbefriends，\"saidPhyllis，feelinghownobleitwasofhertotrytomakeupaquarrelinwhichshewasnottoblame。 Thesignalmanstoopedandkissedher。 \"IdobelieveI’mabitoffmyhead，Sissy，\"hesaid。\"NowrunalonghometoMother。Ididn’tmeantoputyouabout——there。\" SoPhilleftthehotsignal—boxandfollowedPeteracrossthefieldstothefarm。 Whenthefarmmen，ledbyPeterandPhyllisandcarryingahurdlecoveredwithhorse—cloths，reachedthemanholeinthetunnel，BobbiewasfastasleepandsowasJim。Wornoutwiththepain，theDoctorsaidafterwards。 \"Wheredoeshelive？\"thebailifffromthefarmasked，whenJimhadbeenliftedontothehurdle。 \"InNorthumberland，\"answeredBobbie。 \"I’matschoolatMaidbridge，\"saidJim。\"IsupposeI’vegottogetbackthere，somehow。\" \"SeemstometheDoctoroughttohavealookinfirst，\"saidthebailiff。 \"Oh，bringhimuptoourhouse，\"saidBobbie。\"It’sonlyalittlewaybytheroad。I’msureMotherwouldsayweoughtto。\" \"WillyourMalikeyoubringinghomestrangerswithbrokenlegs？\" \"ShetookthepoorRussianhomeherself，\"saidBobbie。\"Iknowshe’dsayweought。\" \"Allright，\"saidthebailiff，\"yououghttoknowwhatyourMa’udlike。Iwouldn’ttakeituponmetofetchhimuptoourplacewithoutIaskedtheMissusfirst，andtheycallmetheMaster，too。\" \"AreyousureyourMotherwon’tmind？\"whisperedJim。 \"Certain，\"saidBobbie。 \"Thenwe’retotakehimuptoThreeChimneys？\"saidthebailiff。 \"Ofcourse，\"saidPeter。 \"ThenmyladshallnipuptoDoctor’sonhisbike，andtellhimtocomedownthere。Now，lads，lifthimquietandsteady。One，two，three！\" ****** ThusithappenedthatMother，writingawayfordearlifeatastoryaboutaDuchess，adesigningvillain，asecretpassage，andamissingwill，droppedherpenasherwork—roomdoorburstopen，andturnedtoseeBobbiehatlessandredwithrunning。 \"Oh，Mother，\"shecried，\"docomedown。Wefoundahoundinaredjerseyinthetunnel，andhe’sbrokenhislegandthey’rebringinghimhome。\" \"Theyoughttotakehimtothevet，\"saidMother，withaworriedfrown;\"IreallyCAN’Thavealamedoghere。\" \"He’snotadog，really——he’saboy，\"saidBobbie，betweenlaughingandchoking。 \"Thenheoughttobetakenhometohismother。\" \"Hismother’sdead，\"saidBobbie，\"andhisfather’sinNorthumberland。Oh，Mother，youwillbenicetohim？ItoldhimI wassureyou’dwantustobringhimhome。Youalwayswanttohelpeverybody。\" Mothersmiled，butshesighed，too。Itisnicethatyourchildrenshouldbelieveyouwillingtoopenhouseandhearttoanyandeveryonewhoneedshelp。Butitisratherembarrassingsometimes，too，whentheyactontheirbelief。 \"Oh，well，\"saidMother，\"wemustmakethebestofit。\" WhenJimwascarriedin，dreadfullywhiteandwithsetlipswhoseredhadfadedtoahorridblueyvioletcolour，Mothersaid：—— \"Iamgladyoubroughthimhere。Now，Jim，let’sgetyoucomfortableinbedbeforetheDoctorcomes！\" AndJim，lookingatherkindeyes，feltalittle，warm，comfortingflushofnewcourage。 \"It’llhurtrather，won’tit？\"hesaid。\"Idon’tmeantobeacoward。Youwon’tthinkI’macowardifIfaintagain，willyou？I reallyandtrulydon’tdoitonpurpose。AndIdohatetogiveyouallthistrouble。\" \"Don’tyouworry，\"saidMother;\"it’syouthathavethetrouble，youpoordear——notus。\" AndshekissedhimjustasifhehadbeenPeter。\"Welovetohaveyouhere——don’twe，Bobbie？\" \"Yes，\"saidBobbie——andshesawbyherMother’sfacehowrightshehadbeentobringhomethewoundedhoundintheredjersey。 ChapterXIII。Thehound’sgrandfather。 Motherdidnotgetbacktoherwritingallthatday，forthered— jerseyedhoundwhomthechildrenhadbroughttoThreeChimneyshadtobeputtobed。AndthentheDoctorcame，andhurthimmosthorribly。Motherwaswithhimallthroughit，andthatmadeitalittlebetterthanitwouldhavebeen，but\"badwasthebest，\"asMrs。Vineysaid。 ThechildrensatintheparlourdownstairsandheardthesoundoftheDoctor’sbootsgoingbackwardsandforwardsoverthebedroomfloor。Andonceortwicetherewasagroan。 \"It’shorrible，\"saidBobbie。\"Oh，IwishDr。Forrestwouldmakehaste。Oh，poorJim！\" \"ItIShorrible，\"saidPeter，\"butit’sveryexciting。IwishDoctorsweren’tsostuck—upaboutwhothey’llhaveintheroomwhenthey’redoingthings。Ishouldmostawfullyliketoseealegset。 Ibelievethebonescrunchlikeanything。\" \"Don’t！\"saidthetwogirlsatonce。 \"Rubbish！\"saidPeter。\"HowareyougoingtobeRedCrossNurses，likeyouweretalkingofcominghome，ifyoucan’tevenstandhearingmesayaboutbonescrunching？You’dhavetoHEARthemcrunchonthefieldofbattle——andbesteepedingoreuptotheelbowsaslikelyasnot，and——\" \"Stopit！\"criedBobbie，withawhiteface;\"youdon’tknowhowfunnyyou’remakingmefeel。\" \"Me，too，\"saidPhyllis，whosefacewaspink。 \"Cowards！\"saidPeter。 \"I’mnot，\"saidBobbie。\"IhelpedMotherwithyourrake—woundedfoot，andsodidPhil——youknowwedid。\" \"Well，then！\"saidPeter。\"Nowlookhere。ItwouldbeajollygoodthingforyouifIweretotalktoyoueverydayforhalfanhouraboutbrokenbonesandpeople’sinsides，soastogetyouusedtoit。\" Achairwasmovedabove。 \"Listen，\"saidPeter，\"that’sthebonecrunching。\" \"Idowishyouwouldn’t，\"saidPhyllis。\"Bobbiedoesn’tlikeit。\" \"I’lltellyouwhattheydo，\"saidPeter。Ican’tthinkwhatmadehimsohorrid。Perhapsitwasbecausehehadbeensoveryniceandkindalltheearlierpartoftheday，andnowhehadtohaveachange。Thisiscalledreaction。Onenoticesitnowandtheninoneself。Sometimeswhenonehasbeenextragoodforalongertimethanusual，oneissuddenlyattackedbyaviolentfitofnotbeinggoodatall。\"I’lltellyouwhattheydo，\"saidPeter;\"theystrapthebrokenmandownsothathecan’tresistorinterferewiththeirdoctorishdesigns，andthensomeoneholdshishead，andsomeoneholdshisleg——thebrokenone，andpullsittillthebonesfitin—— withacrunch，mindyou！Thentheystrapitupand——let’splayatbone—setting！\" \"Oh，no！\"saidPhyllis。 ButBobbiesaidsuddenly：\"Allright——LET’S！I’llbethedoctor，andPhilcanbethenurse。Youcanbethebrokenboner;wecangetatyourlegsmoreeasily，becauseyoudon’twearpetticoats。\" \"I’llgetthesplintsandbandages，\"saidPeter;\"yougetthecouchofsufferingready。\" Theropesthathadtieduptheboxesthathadcomefromhomewereallinawoodenpacking—caseinthecellar。WhenPeterbroughtinatrailingtangleofthem，andtwoboardsforsplints，Phylliswasexcitedlygiggling。 \"Now，then，\"hesaid，andlaydownonthesettle，groaningmostgrievously。 \"Notsoloud！\"saidBobbie，beginningtowindtheroperoundhimandthesettle。\"Youpull，Phil。\" \"Notsotight，\"moanedPeter。\"You’llbreakmyotherleg。\" Bobbieworkedoninsilence，windingmoreandmoreroperoundhim。 \"That’senough，\"saidPeter。\"Ican’tmoveatall。Oh，mypoorleg！\"Hegroanedagain。 \"SUREyoucan’tmove？\"askedBobbie，inaratherstrangetone。 \"Quitesure，\"repliedPeter。\"Shallweplayit’sbleedingfreelyornot？\"heaskedcheerfully。 \"YOUcanplaywhatyoulike，\"saidBobbie，sternly，foldingherarmsandlookingdownathimwherehelayallwoundroundandroundwithcord。\"PhilandIaregoingaway。Andweshan’tuntieyoutillyoupromisenever，nevertotalktousaboutbloodandwoundsunlesswesayyoumay。Come，Phil！\" \"Youbeast！\"saidPeter，writhing。\"I’llneverpromise，never。 I’llyell，andMotherwillcome。\" \"Do，\"saidBobbie，\"andtellherwhywetiedyouup！Comeon，Phil。 No，I’mnotabeast，Peter。Butyouwouldn’tstopwhenweaskedyouand——\" \"Yah，\"saidPeter，\"itwasn’tevenyourownidea。YougotitoutofStalky！\" BobbieandPhil，retiringinsilentdignity，weremetatthedoorbytheDoctor。Hecameinrubbinghishandsandlookingpleasedwithhimself。 \"Well，\"hesaid，\"THATjob’sdone。It’sanicecleanfracture，andit’llgoonallright，I’venodoubt。Pluckyyoungchap，too—— hullo！what’sallthis？\" HiseyehadfallenonPeterwholaymousy—stillinhisbondsonthesettle。 \"Playingatprisoners，eh？\"hesaid;buthiseyebrowshadgoneupalittle。SomehowhehadnotthoughtthatBobbiewouldbeplayingwhileintheroomabovesomeonewashavingabrokenboneset。 \"Oh，no！\"saidBobbie，\"notatPRISONERS。Wewereplayingatsettingbones。Peter’sthebrokenboner，andIwasthedoctor。\" TheDoctorfrowned。 \"ThenImustsay，\"hesaid，andhesaiditrathersternly，\"that’sit’saveryheartlessgame。Haven’tyouenoughimaginationeventofaintlypicturewhat’sbeengoingonupstairs？Thatpoorchap，withthedropsofsweatonhisforehead，andbitinghislipssoasnottocryout，andeverytouchonhislegagonyand——\" \"YOUoughttobetiedup，\"saidPhyllis;\"you’reasbadas——\" \"Hush，\"saidBobbie;\"I’msorry，butweweren’theartless，really。\" \"Iwas，Isuppose，\"saidPeter，crossly。\"Allright，Bobbie，don’tyougoonbeingnobleandscreeningme，becauseIjollywellwon’thaveit。ItwasonlythatIkeptontalkingaboutbloodandwounds。 IwantedtotrainthemforRedCrossNurses。AndIwouldn’tstopwhentheyaskedme。\" \"Well？\"saidDr。Forrest，sittingdown。 \"Well——thenIsaid，’Let’splayatsettingbones。’Itwasallrot。 IknewBobbiewouldn’t。Ionlysaidittoteaseher。Andthenwhenshesaid’yes，’ofcourseIhadtogothroughwithit。Andtheytiedmeup。TheygotitoutofStalky。AndIthinkit’sabeastlyshame。\" Hemanagedtowritheoverandhidehisfaceagainstthewoodenbackofthesettle。 \"Ididn’tthinkthatanyonewouldknowbutus，\"saidBobbie，indignantlyansweringPeter’sunspokenreproach。\"Ineverthoughtofyourcomingin。Andhearingaboutbloodandwoundsdoesreallymakemefeelmostawfullyfunny。Itwasonlyajokeourtyinghimup。Letmeuntieyou，Pete。\" \"Idon’tcareifyouneveruntieme，\"saidPeter;\"andifthat’syourideaofajoke——\" \"IfIwereyou，\"saidtheDoctor，thoughreallyhedidnotquiteknowwhattosay，\"IshouldbeuntiedbeforeyourMothercomesdown。 Youdon’twanttoworryherjustnow，doyou？\" \"Idon’tpromiseanythingaboutnotsayingaboutwounds，mind，\"saidPeter，inverysurlytones，asBobbieandPhyllisbegantountietheknots。 \"I’mverysorry，Pete，\"Bobbiewhispered，leaningclosetohimasshefumbledwiththebigknotunderthesettle;\"butifyouonlyknewhowsickyoumademefeel。\" \"You’vemadeMEfeelprettysick，Icantellyou，\"Peterrejoined。 Thenheshookofftheloosecords，andstoodup。 \"Ilookedin，\"saidDr。Forrest，\"toseeifoneofyouwouldcomealongtothesurgery。TherearesomethingsthatyourMotherwillwantatonce，andI’vegivenmymanadayofftogoandseethecircus;willyoucome，Peter？\" Peterwentwithoutawordoralooktohissisters。 ThetwowalkedinsilenceuptothegatethatledfromtheThreeChimneysfieldtotheroad。ThenPetersaid：—— \"Letmecarryyourbag。Isay，itisheavy——what’sinit？\" \"Oh，knivesandlancetsanddifferentinstrumentsforhurtingpeople。Andtheetherbottle。Ihadtogivehimether，youknow—— theagonywassointense。\" Peterwassilent。 \"Tellmeallabouthowyoufoundthatchap，\"saidDr。Forrest。 Petertold。AndthenDr。Forresttoldhimstoriesofbraverescues; hewasamostinterestingmantotalkto，asPeterhadoftenremarked。 TheninthesurgeryPeterhadabetterchancethanhehadeverhadofexaminingtheDoctor’sbalance，andhismicroscope，andhisscalesandmeasuringglasses。WhenallthethingswerereadythatPeterwastotakeback，theDoctorsaidsuddenly：—— \"You’llexcusemyshovingmyoarin，won’tyou？ButIshouldliketosaysomethingtoyou。\" \"Nowforarowing，\"thoughtPeter，whohadbeenwonderinghowitwasthathehadescapedone。 \"Somethingscientific，\"addedtheDoctor。 \"Yes，\"saidPeter，fiddlingwiththefossilammonitethattheDoctorusedforapaper—weight。 \"Wellthen，yousee。Boysandgirlsareonlylittlemenandwomen。 AndWEaremuchharderandhardierthantheyare——\"（Peterlikedthe\"we。\"PerhapstheDoctorhadknownhewould。）——\"andmuchstronger，andthingsthathurtTHEMdon’thurtUS。Youknowyoumustn’thitagirl——\" \"Ishouldthinknot，indeed，\"mutteredPeter，indignantly。