46 A YEAR WITH NELLIE.

“Well, Rayner?” said Mr. Cooper inquiringly,

hesitating to put into words the ane
“alive or dead?”

“ He is living at present, and that’s all I can
say,” was his answer.

“Don’t you think he'll pull through?” asked
the gentleman who had brought the book.

The doctor shook his head.

“Tm afraid not. But there’s no telling.
These little creatures do sometimes survive
what would kill a grown person outright.”

A silence followed which Mr. Cooper broke.

“Well, we're only in the way here. Perhaps °
we had better go. I sincerely hope you'll bring
him round.”

A few minutes and they were gone, and the
doctor had remounted the stair; he also having
been too much engrossed to notice the little
girl with her white face and terrified eyes.

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