ay as fast as you can. I'm sure I feel quite ready
for it myself after all that trudging about over sands and rocks."

Thus admonished, Harry made his way upstairs to the back attic, where
Walter and he and the _Rover_ were moored.

III. "BLANKET BAY."

Early next morning Walter Hammond knocked at Mrs. Leslie's door.

"Could you come and look at Harry's knee?" he asked in rather a
frightened voice. "We think there is something wrong with it."

Mrs. Leslie lost no time, you may be sure. And here, sure enough, she
found poor Harry lying in excruciating pain, and with a great white
swelling on his knee, which her experienced eyes saw at once was no
ordinary bruise or sprain.

"My boy!" she cried, "why didn't you tell me sooner? If I had only
known!"

Harry could not help his tears flowing fast now. It had been such a long
strain upon him to keep up hour after hour, that it was quite a relief at
last to have the very worst fully confessed.

"I thought it would go off, mamma," he said, "or I would have told. And
I was so anxious to be well just now, for the sea; and oh, I can't move
one single step!"

"Don't cry, dear. We'll send for the doctor and see what he says. I
daresay he will make it better before long. And you mustn't fret, you
know, or you'll make yourself worse." So saying, Mrs. Leslie had the
nearest medical man sent for, and the little patient laid neatly and
comfortably in bed--as her skilful hands could well do.

Dr. Bell came, and pronounced poor Harry's a very grave case of what is
popularly known as "white swelling," brought on by the hurt he had
received, but chiefly owing to the little boy's very delicate system. "He
must lie quite still for some weeks at least," said the doctor. "There
must be no trying to get up or move about until I give permission."

Poor Harry! it was indeed a hard and bitter trial, and he did not then
know that he would yet be thankful one day for a lesson taught him by
this very trouble. But, indeed, we very seldom know such things till the
time of trial is long past.

Walter was removed to a sofa-bed in the parlour, so as to give Harry more
room and air, since the little attic must be his sole abode for long
weeks in all probability.

And so it proved. Harry lay there day after day, hardly daring even to
sit half up in bed for meals, and compelled to lie mostly on his back.
There stood the unfortunate ship _Rover_, whose piratical wanderings h