"And I dare say you won't mind doing an errand for me," added the doctor. "I want to send a note up to Dr. Porter at the college, and was meaning to give it to some of the hackman, but if you will carry it for me, I shall be much obliged. Go up to the medical college and ask for Dr. Porter. He will be in the museum, I dare say."
"I wonder—" said Eben, and then he stopped, shocked at his own boldness.
"Well, you wonder what?" asked the doctor, good-naturedly.
"He wonders whether he can see the museum, I suppose," said Mr. Antis, answering for Eben. "He has a great hankering after bones, and such like. I found him the other day trying to put together a hen's skeleton which he had cleaned up somehow."
"Is that so?" said the doctor. "Then he shall be gratified;" and he wrote a few words at the bottom of his note. "There I have given you an introduction to Dr. Porter, and he will show you any number of skeletons and other cheerful objects of that description. But what did you want to put the hen's skeleton together for?"
"I wanted to see how it went," replied Eben, finding his voice, which he was rather apt to lose under the influence of any pleasurable emotion. "Such things are so curious and interesting."
"You ought to study medicine," remarked the doctor. "Why don't you?"
"I only wish—" Eben began, but something choked him, and he turned away and looked steadfastly out of the window.
Dr. Henry had a wonderful tact in understanding the feelings of those about him. He saw that he had unwittingly touched a tender point, and that the boy was trying hard to control his painful feelings. He turned away and talked to Mr. Antis till they reached Hobartown.
"Here we are!" said he, cheerfully. "You won't have any trouble in finding Dr. Porter, and I dare say you will make friends with him, for he is a kind old man, and fond of young people."