r-bone broken--But I mustn't harrow you with our bad
cases," she said, quickly, as Ida seemed to wince. "Of course you feel
very strange--I suppose this is the first time you have been in a
hospital ward?"

"Yes," replied Ida, glancing round timidly.

"Ah, yes, of course," said Nurse Brown, nodding and smiling
encouragingly. "And you feel shy and nervous; but, if you only knew it,
you are better off here than you would be anywhere else; you have the
very best surgeons in the world--we are awfully proud of them; and,
though I ought not to say it, the best of nursing. You are watched
night and day, and you get the least wee little thing you want if it's
good for you. I daresay you won't care to stay here, but will like to
be taken away as soon as you are well enough to be moved; for, of
course, we all know that you are a lady. Oh, it isn't the first time we
have had a lady in the ward. A great many of them come down here
'slumming,' and sometimes they get run over, as you have been, or they
fall down some of the dark and rickety stairs, or hurt themselves in
some other way--it's wonderful what a choice of accidents you can have
in this busy and crowded part of London."

After a pause she went on:

"Of course you will go away as soon as you can; but it's a pity, it
really is; you're ever so much better off here, and you'd soon get used
to the other people in the ward, though they are of a different class
to yourself. But though most of them are very poor and some of them are
usually rough when they are at home, it is wonderfully how patient they
are--you will scarcely ever hear a murmur; only a sigh now and
again--and they are so grateful that sometimes they bring the tears to
your eyes, and it's quite hard to part from them when they get well and
are discharged. But I really mustn't talk to you any more," she
murmured, penitently, and the soft, placid voice ceased.

Ida looked round the ward, her heart beating as fast as her condition
would allow. As Nurse Brown had said, she felt terribly strange and
nervous in the long, whitewashed ward which, however, was rendered
cheerful enough by the dozens of pictures from illustrated papers,
which had been fastened to the walls, and by the vases and great bowls
of flowers which seemed to occupy every suitable spot.

She closed her eyes and tried to think; but she fell asleep instead and
dreamt that she had fallen off Rupert and was lying on the moss beside
the river, quite