"After all, I am not so very sorry," added Mr. Francis, in a musing tone. "He was but young, and this may be a lesson to him."
"It may be a lesson to him, but he won't learn it," said Jeduthun, accepting the reproof and its accompaniment with due humility. "When a fellow makes 'it isn't pleasant' a reason for not doing anything that ought to be done, he won't never come to much."
[CHAPTER XIII.]
EBEN GETS A NEW PLACE.
EBEN'S wound proved a very serious matter. The joint inflamed, fever set in, and for a time it really seemed as if Dr. Green's prediction would be realized and Eben would lose his leg, after all. But, as Dr. Henry said, faith, care, and water-dressings brought him round at last, and by Christmas, Eben was able to be removed from the mill and carried home. That was a joyful going home for all parties.
"Why, what does this mean?" asked Eben as Jeduthun helped him into the little parlour. "Where did you get so much baseburner?"
"Oh, Mr. Francis sent that, and a great load of coal, besides—enough to keep it going all winter," said Flora. "Just wait! You haven't seen it all yet."
A very small bed-room opened from the parlour. It was too small, Mrs. Fairchild declared, for any one to sleep in, and had therefore been used for a kind of store-room. Flora opened the door and displayed to Eben's astonished eyes the little room stretched out to three times its former size by an addition, and neatly furnished with new furniture.
"There! That is your room," said she. "Mr. Francis had a man come over from the Springs to do it, because he said you would need a bed-room down stairs till your knee got well. He sent over the furniture himself from Hobartown, and yesterday he came down to see the room."
"I kind of hated to have him do it at first," said Mrs. Fairchild. "It seemed too much of an obligation, but he said you had saved him from a great loss, and sacrificed your knee to him, and he didn't feel as though he could do too much for you. It is a great convenience, you see, and when you don't want it any more, it will do for a spare room."