The door opened and into the bedroom came the Doctor. He had a face all rosy from the cold. His eyes were black and so sharp that they looked right through Marmaduke. But they were kind eyes and his voice had a pleasant chuckle in it.
The Doctor came and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Well, well! How's my little soldier? Wounded in the battle or just playing possum?"
Then Marmaduke opened his eyes.
After the Doctor had talked a while about lots of different things, before Marmaduke knew it, there was something like a spoon or a shoe-horn in his throat and the Doctor was telling him to say "Ah!"
"This isn't school," thought Marmaduke, "why does he make me say that?"
But he forgot to be frightened, for the Doctor was saying so many funny things all the time.
Then he opened his black bag. It was full of little bottles, packed neatly in rows. Marmaduke wished he would forget and leave it behind. It would be fine to play with.
Mother brought two glasses and the Doctor poured some drops from one bottle into a glass, then from another bottle into another glass. And he said something to Mother in a low voice—Marmaduke could not hear what it was—then he patted the little soldier on the head and said good-bye.
Again the sleigh-bells sounded and away he drove.