'I shall fight you,' cried Teddy, 'if you don't give it up at once!

It isn't yours. You would be a thief if you kept it. Give it to me this minute!'

'Shall I throw it into the river?' questioned the saucy little maiden.

Teddy darted forward, and then began a tussle. He tried to wrench her hands apart, and she exerted all her strength to keep them closed.

Suddenly, with a triumphant cry from Teddy, as Nancy's fingers were beginning to yield, the b.u.t.ton was liberated with such force that it flew violently out, and splash into the river it went! Nancy gave a cry, but without a word or sound Teddy plunged in head foremost after it. It was done without a thought. He was a good swimmer, and for a minute Nancy watched him in breathless silence. But when his little head rose out of the water he seemed half stupefied, and cried out in a weak voice, 'Help! I'm drowning!' then sank again. Nancy set up a shout then of frantic agony, and a carter coming over the bridge fortunately heard her, and came to the rescue, not a moment too soon. He threw off his coat and heavy boots, and plunged in just as Teddy's curly head rose for the third and last time. It did not take long to bring him to sh.o.r.e, but he lay in the carter's arms limp and lifeless, and Nancy burst into an agony of tears.

'He's dead! he's dead, and I've killed him!' she cried.

The carter wasted no time in trying to restore animation to the little frame, but all his efforts were unavailing, and at last he said, 'I'll put him in my cart, and drive as fast as I can to the doctor's. It isn't more than a mile off, if so be that he's at home. You go home and fetch his mother as fast as you can.'

Nancy raced off, sobbing as she went, and she was in such a state of excitement that when at length she burst open the farmhouse door she seemed to have lost her speech.

Mrs. John saw her face, and started forwards. 'It's Teddy!' she cried; 'what has happened?'

'He's at--he's going to the doctor's dead!' she gasped, then fell breathless to the floor. Without a word Mrs. John s.n.a.t.c.hed up a shawl, and with white, set face, and lips moving in agonised prayer, she flew along the road to the doctor's. She was shown into the room where the doctor was hard at work; but Teddy lay like a waxen image, with the sweetest smile on his lips, his fair curls cl.u.s.tering round his brow, and only an ugly b.u.mp amongst the curls told the reason of his sinking under the water again so suddenly.

In breathless silence the mother stood and watched. 'Don't give him up, doctor!' she cried, as at last the doctor straightened himself and paused, looking at the mother sorrowfully. He shook his head, but set to work again, trying artificial respiration, and leaving no effort untried to bring back the life that had apparently departed.

And then there came the moment when his efforts met with success, for placing his hand against the little heart he felt a feeble throb. He redoubled his efforts; the breath began to appear, a faint colour tinged the blue lips, and at last the heavy eyelids raised, and a faint voice said, 'Mother!'

Mrs. John sank on her knees. 'Thank G.o.d!' was all she said, and then she fainted.

Much later in the evening Teddy was placed in his own little bed at home; but though alive, his condition was most critical, and he lay in a heavy stupor, from which it seemed impossible to rouse him. The doctor said he must have struck his head against a stone when first he dived into the river, and this had produced concussion of the brain. Nancy had been taken home before he came, but the news was brought to her that he was still alive, though in great danger, and that was a great comfort to her poor little sorrowful soul.

For many days he lay between life and death. The inquiries after him from every one of his schoolfellows, the Hall, and the different farms and places round, told his mother how much her little son had been beloved. And when on the following Sunday Mr. Upton gave out, in a faltering voice, 'The prayers of this congregation are desired for Edward Platt, who is very dangerously ill,' there was not a dry eye in the church, and one or two audible sobs came from the boys' seats in the gallery.

Mrs. John never left her boy's bedside--night and day she was by him, and many wondered at her calm peacefulness. After the first great shock, she had been able to hand over her child into her Father's loving hands, and rest content with the result; and so she was able, in perhaps the most anxious time of her life, to look up and say, 'Father, not my will, but Thine be done.'

The days slowly pa.s.sed, and still no change for the better. The doctor came and went with his grave, impenetrable face, and Teddy was still unconscious. Then doubts began to rise in his mother's heart as to whether his reason would ever come back, and she stopped the doctor as he was leaving one morning to ask him the question,--

'If he lives, doctor, will he be an idiot?--my brave, bonny boy! Oh, I would rather have death for him than that!' And the doctor could only give her the meagre consolation, 'He may recover yet. I have seen worse cases than this pull through, and be as bright as ever they were.'

And then, one afternoon, when the setting sun was flooding the room with a golden glory, the little head turned on the pillow. 'Mother!'

The sound of that word, not uttered since she had seen him in the doctor's house that first terrible day, was like the sweetest music in her ear. Stooping over him she met the clear conscious gaze of the blue eyes.

'So tired, mother! Put your hand under my cheek. Good-night.'

The eyelids closed, and the limbs relaxed in healthy sleep. The mother sat down, and though her arm became stiff and weary, not a muscle of it moved.

The doctor came in just before he woke.

'He has spoken; he knew me,' she said; and the doctor nodded and smiled.

And then a minute after the boy raised his head.

'Where am I, mother?' he asked feebly.

'In bed, darling. You've been ill.'

'Where's my b.u.t.ton?'

'He'll do,' said the doctor contentedly; 'keep him quiet, and feed him up.'

And the glad news went round the village that Teddy was getting better.

It was a bright day for the farm when Teddy was brought down in a blanket and put in the big easy-chair by the fire. His little face and hands looked very fragile, with the blue veins standing out clearly under the transparent white skin, but his large eyes shone with light and gladness.

His mother made him comfortable, then left him in his grandmother's charge for a short time. Old Mrs. Platt had had her share of suffering during those sad days; her heart was wrapped up in the boy, and perhaps the greatest trial of all was to stand aloof, and perform her daily work downstairs, whilst her daughter-in-law had the sole charge of him.

She came across to the chair now, and kneeling down in front of it, said, with tears in her eyes, as she took his two little hands into hers, 'Granny has sadly missed her pickle all this while.'

And then Teddy put his little arms round her neck and hugged her close, crushing her cap in the most reckless fashion as he did so.

'I'm getting better every day, granny, and I love you ever so!'

When Mrs. Platt released herself, he went on more soberly, 'I feel very tipsy on my legs. I asked mother to let me walk just now, but I couldn't manage very well. I don't think I shall be able to run fast for a year, shall I?'

'Oh, we'll see you about long before that, please G.o.d!'

'And, granny, you know about my sorrow?'

The blue eyes looked wistful at the thought.

'Yes, laddie; but don't think of that now.'

'I told mother I didn't want ever to get well when I first talked about it. I felt I couldn't live without my b.u.t.ton, but she told me that was wrong; she said it wasn't being a good soldier to wish to die directly trouble came, and that if I bore my sorrow well G.o.d would be pleased. Do you think I'm bearing it well, granny?'

'Yes, yes,' Mrs. Platt said soothingly. 'Look at those lovely flowers and grapes that Mrs. Graham sent to you this morning. Wasn't that kind of her?'

'I don't never forget it,' pursued Teddy, refusing to have the subject changed; 'but I thought this morning that G.o.d could give it to me again, and so I'm going to ask Him every day till it comes; and do you know, granny, I think He'll give it to me, only mother says I must be patient.'

Presently he asked, 'Could I see Nancy, one day soon?'

'She comes, on her way to school, every day to ask how you are. Poor little maid! she's taken on dreadful about your illness, and wouldn't eat her food when you were so ill. Her mother got quite anxious about her.

We'll send for her in a day or two, if you keep well.' And two days after Nancy appeared. She came up to the big chair very shyly, and looked with awe upon Teddy's white, wasted face; then she cried impulsively,--

'Oh, b.u.t.ton-boy, will you ever, ever forgive me? If you had died, I should have killed you!'

'No, you wouldn't,' said Teddy, putting up his face and kissing her. 'I was just as naughty; I shouldn't have tried to fight with you.'

'I go to the river every day,' Nancy went on sorrowfully, 'and Farmer Green brought a big net one day and dragged up a lot of stones and old tin pans, but the b.u.t.ton wasn't there. I hope it will be washed ash.o.r.e one day, and so I look along the banks, but I haven't seen a sign of it yet!'

'I'm asking G.o.d to give it back to me every day,' said Teddy, with a little decided nod, 'and I think He'll do it. You ask Him too, Nancy, and perhaps He'll do it quicker.'

'I've asked G.o.d every day to make you better, and I promised Him if He would do it I would be the Captain's soldier. Yes, I did, and I said I would give up being a sailor, and be just a soldier, like you are.'

Nancy made this statement with great solemnity, and Teddy beamed with delight.