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W

THE DOCTOR.

ALTER crouched into a corner of the room, away from his mamma, in the darkness; while poor little Basil lay on the sofa, groaning every now and then, with his hot hand in his mamma's. Walter did not cry now; he felt too much frightened to do that; he could only listen to Basil's groans, and wish that the doctor would come.

After some time, he heard his step in the hall; and the door opened, and he came in. Then Walter crouched closer into the darkness, for he feared that the doctor might guess what a very naughty little boy he had been.

The first thing the doctor did was to call for a basin and warm water and a sponge; and the next to walk to the window and draw up the blind; but

he never noticed Walter, He then washed the blood from Basil's forehead, which made him cry again at being touched; but the doctor told him that he must submit to have his face looked at, or he could not tell what was the matter with him. Walter could not take his eyes from his mamma's face, while the doctor examined Basil; for she looked so pale and so sad. The little boy's face was very much cut with the stone, which had caused the quantity of blood: but that was not the worst part of it. His eye was so badly hurt, that the doctor looked very grave when he saw it; and that it was which had made Basil scream so loudly.

The doctor plastered the cuts, and bathed the eye and bound it up, and said he would send some lotion that evening; and then he turned to mamma, and said,

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Walter trembled lest he should be asked; but mamma did not know he was in the room, and she only answered sadly,

"I have not inquired yet: I fancy he fell down.”

Walter sobbed from the corner where he sat; but the doctor was speaking again; so he was not

heard.

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We must keep him quiet," said the doctor, "for there may be fever; his pulse is very rapid now."

And the doctor took his hat, and softly left the room. Walter saw his mamma kneel down by the sofa where Basil was lying, and pray to God; and as she did so, the tears ran down her cheeks, for she was very much frightened about her little son. It grew darker and darker. Everybody seemed to have forgotten Walter; for it was past tea-time. The servant came in to ask mamma if she would not have tea; but she said, "No, not yet." At length, the nursemaid came to ask where Walter was; and then he had to get up, and his mamma saw him. He could not bear that she should kiss him, and speak to him so kindly; and when the maid remembered that he had not had any tea, he said he did not want any, and would rather go to bed. He undressed himself quickly, and was left alone; but he could not sleep. He could think of nothing but

Basil screaming, with his face covered with blood, and poor mamma's sad face; so he got out of bed again, and softly went downstairs until he reached the drawing-room. The door was half open, and his mamma was sitting with her back towards him, looking at Basil. Walter crept in, without making any noise, for his feet were bare, and once more in the darkness he sat down; for he could not bear to be alone. Basil kept moving restlessly from side to side, moaning with pain, and talking every now and then ; for he was very feverish. He had been undressed, and a bed made up for him upon the sofa. What a wretched night Walter passed, listening to his little brother's moans; and sometimes falling asleep for a few minutes, and then waking again, to feel cold and unhappy. He had been the cause of all this by his wicked temper. He had been afraid to say his prayers, for he felt such a very naughty boy. He was wrong there; for being a naughty boy, he had the more need to ask God to forgive him; and as he was sorry, God would have forgiven him for Christ's sake.

WALTER'S REPENTANCE.

N the morning Walter was discovered cold and shivering in his nightgown, and his mamma called him a kind, affectionate little boy to be so sorry for his brother. Walter burst into tears and sobbed; and his mamma kissed him and soothed him, and sent him upstairs to be combed and dressed, and have his breakfast.

For several days the doctor came to see Basil; he always looked at his eye, but said nothing. The cuts were quite healed, and the plasters were taken off. Walter would linger about the door when the doctor was in the room, wishing to know how Basil was; and the doctor would pat him on the head as he came out, and say, "Well, my little man-that's right! I like to see little boys fond of one another."

Basil's fever was quite gone, and he could play

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