On my honour
he is in good hands, and I promise to come to you on the instant when it
is safe for you to meet him." The lady moaned, "Oh, my boy--my
darling--my own! Oh! the curse!"--and then she went away.
In two days Bob was quite calm and rational. He craved for food, and
seemed so well that I thought I might manage him single-handed. So the
attendants were dismissed, with the doctor's permission, and Bob and I
settled down for a quiet chat. I shall never forget that talk. The lad
was not maudlin, and he utterly refused to whimper, but he seemed
suddenly to have seen the horror of the past. "You can stop in time, old
man," he said, "but I can't. When I'm well, I'll turn to work, and I'll
try to keep other chaps from getting into the mud. It would be funny to
see me preaching to the boys up river, wouldn't it?" For a moment I
thought, "I'll turn teetotal as well," but I did not say it. I bent
towards Bob and asked, "Would you care to see your mother, old man?" He
smiled beautifully, and eagerly answered, "Go for her now.
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