young
officer's wounds.

"Very bad, Doctor?" asked Bracy.

"Bad enough, sir. I don't like this exit so close to the vertebrae.--
That hurt?"

"No; it feels dull and cold just there."

"Raise that hand a little."

"Can't, Doctor; I'm so tightly bandaged."

"Humph! Yes, you are pretty well tied up. That poor fellow Gedge did
wonderfully well for you, considering. He attended to his ambulance
lessons. First help's a grand thing when a man's bleeding to death."

"Was I bleeding to death?" said Bracy rather faintly.

"Of course you were; or perhaps not. The bleeding might have stopped of
itself, but I shouldn't have liked to trust it. There; shan't do any
more to you to-day. We'll have you to bed and asleep. That's the first
step towards getting well again. Sorry to have you down so soon, Bracy,
my dear boy. There, keep a good heart, and I'll soon get you right
again."

The Colonel was at the hospital door soon after, along with Major
Graham, both anxious to hear about Bracy's hurt.

"Bad," said the Doctor shortly as he put on his coat. "Don't ask to see
the poor boy; he's just dropping off to sleep."

"Bad?" said the Colonel anxiously.

"Yes, bad, sir. A young fellow can't have a hole drilled right through
him by a piece of ragged iron without being in a very serious
condition."

"But the wound is not fatal?"

"H'm! no, not fatal. He's young, strong, and healthy; but the exit of
the missile was in close proximity to the spine, and there's no knowing
what mischief may have been done."

"What do you mean?" said the Colonel anxiously.

"Injury to the nerve centre there. I can't say. Possibly nothing may
follow, but I am obliged to say the wound is bad, and there is danger of
his being crippled--permanently injured in a way which would render him
unfit for service."

"But look here," said the Major excitedly, "you have a bad habit of
making the worst of things, Morton. Come, explain yourself. Are there
any symptoms suggestive of what you hint at?"

"My dear Graham, I never come and interfere with your work; don't you
meddle with mine."

"I don't want to, sir," said the Major tartly. "I only want for the
Colonel and yours obediently not to be left in the dark."

"Graham is quite right," said the Colonel gravely. "We should like to
know a little more."

"Very good," said the Doctor, "but I can only say this: there is a
peculiar absence of sensation in the lower extremities, and esp