"Some people say he is not as much altered as they expected," said
Richard.

"Oh! do they? Well! I can't fancy any one feeling it more. He
can't leave off his old self, of course, but--" Ethel stopped short.

"Margaret is a great comfort to him," said Richard.

"That she is. She thinks of him all day long, and I don't think
either of them is ever so happy as in the evening, when he sits with
her. They talk about mamma then--"

It was just what Richard could not do, and he made some observation
to change the subject, but Ethel returned to it, so far as to beg to
know how the arm was going on, for she did not like to say anything
about it to papa.

"It will be a long business, I am afraid," said Richard. "Indeed, he
said the other day, he thought he should never have the free use of
the elbow."

"And do you think it is very painful? I saw the other day, when
Aubrey was sitting on his knee and fidgeting, he shrank whenever he
even came towards it, and yet it seemed as if he could not bear to
put him down."

"Yes it is excessively tender, and sometimes gets very bad at night."

"Ah," said Ethel; "there's a line--here--round his eyes, that there