“I hope not,” replied the doctor earnestly. “Not if I can prevent it.”
Just then there was another visitor to the cottage in the person of Uncle Richard, while soon after David appeared round the corner, where there was a sharp bend in the lane, having risen and started an hour earlier so as to come round by Mother Warboys’, and inquire about the injured lad.
“Don’t you go a-thinking that I keer a nutshell about Pete Warboys, Master Tom,” said David, as he was looking into the cottage with the boy by his side, “because I don’t, and it sims to me as the fewer Pete Warboyses there is in the world the better we should be. It warn’t him I come about’s mornin’—not Pete, you know, but the lad as had had an accident, and got nearly killed. See?”
“Yes, I see, David,” said Tom, nodding his head.
“It’s him as has got the friends—the young accident—not Pete. Say, Master Tom?”
“Yes.”
“If Pete Warboys dies—”
“Hush! don’t talk about it,” cried Tom in horror.
“Oh, cert’ny not, sir, if you don’t wish me to. May I talk about the dog?”
“Oh yes, of course,” cried Tom, as he looked round at the bright, smiling earth, glittering with diamond-like dew, and thought how terrible it would be for one so young to be snatched away.