“You must give the baby something strengthening,” she said; and she had visions of phosphate food and orange jelly.
At the words “something strengthening,” a shaggy head looked up from the bedstraw; it belonged to a pale, hollow eyed man with a large woollen comforter wrapped round his jaws.
Mrs. Warden was frightened. “Your husband?” she asked.
The poor woman answered yes, it was her husband. He had not gone to work to-day because he had such bad toothache.
Mrs. Warden had had toothache herself, and knew how painful it is. She uttered some words of sincere sympathy.
The man muttered something, and lay back again; and at the same moment Mrs. Warden discovered an inmate of the room whom she had not hitherto observed.
It was a quite young girl, who was seated in the corner at the other side of the stove. She stared for a moment at the fine lady, but quickly drew back her head and bent forward, so that the visitor could see little but her back.
Mrs. Warden thought the girl had some sewing in her lap which she wanted to hide; perhaps it was some old garment she was mending.
“Why does the big boy lie upon the floor?” asked Mrs. Warden.
“He’s lame,” answered the mother. And now followed a detailed account of the poor boy’s case, with many lamentations. He had been attacked with hip-disease after the scarlet-fever.