But these soon died out, and I was listening to a familiar voice that came, it appeared, from a long way off; then it came nearer and nearer, and the words seemed to be breathed upon my face.

“Only a bit stunned,” it said; and then I gasped out the one word:

“Doctor!”

“My dear Joe!” came back, and— well, it was in the dark, and we were not ashamed: the doctor hugged me to his heart, as if I had been his brother whom he had found.


Chapter Thirty One.

How we made further Plans.

“Why, Joe, my lad,” he said at last, in a voice I did not recognise, it was so full of emotion, “you’ve driven me half-wild. How could you get in such a fix?”

“Jimmy get in big fix,” said an ill-used voice. “Nobody glad to see Jimmy.”