enderly if he were hurt. He was covered with mud from head to foot,
his face was sorely cut and bruised by some sharp stones lying under
the mud, and his teeth had cut through his upper lip. Georgie raised
him into a sitting posture, and did all he could for him. A little
burn ran by the way-side. Georgie dipped his handkerchief in it, and
kneeling beside him, tried to wash away the mud and blood from his
face with the utmost tenderness and gentleness, saying all the time
words of kindness and concern, and giving him those looks of deep,
wistful pity.

At first Alick submitted to his kind offices without speaking; but
after a few minutes he turned his head from him with a fretful,
impatient, "There, that'll do," and stretched out his hand for his
crutches. Georgie brought them to him, and helped him to get upon
them. But poor Alick had severely sprained his shoulder in trying to
save himself as he fell, and the attempt to use his crutches gave him
the most violent pain. Selfish boys are never manly. They always think
too much of their own troubles. This new pain, and the fear that he
should not be able to get home, were too much for Alick. He gave way
to a most unrestrained fit of crying. At another time George would
have been either provoked or amused at the big boy crying thus like a
baby. But now the pity God had planted in his heart swallowed up every
other feeling. He thought only of comforting and helping him.

"Oh, don't cry," he said encouragingly; "I'll get you home, never
fear. See, sit here a minute, and I'll run for Annie's garden-chair,
and wheel you home in it." And having seated him comfortably leaning
against the wall, he ran off, and was back with the chair before even
the impatient Alick could have expected him.

It was not easy to drive the chair through the soft mud, where hidden
stones, were constantly turning aside the wheels, jarring George's
arms, and calling forth bitter complaints from the fretful Alick. But
Georgie bore complaints and jarrings with equal patience and kindly
good humour, and as the homes of the two boys were not far apart, he
got Alick safe to his own door in no very long time.

The next afternoon when Georgie came home from school, he heard from
his mother that the doctor had been there to see Annie, and had told
them that Alick was very ill. He had sprained his back as well as his
shoulder, and was suffering great pain, and must, the doctor said, be
confined to bed for ma