I + 

Vernon woke, after a long time, to find himself in bed. It was, of course, the natural place to be when you woke up, but what wasnтАЩt natural was to have a great hump sticking up in front of you in the bed. It was whilst he was staring at this that someone spoke to him. That someone was Dr.┬аColes, whom Vernon knew quite well. + 

тАЬWell, well,тАЭ said Dr.┬аColes, тАЬand how are we feeling?тАЭ + 

Vernon didnтАЩt know how Dr.┬аColes was feeling. He himself was feeling rather sick and said so. + 

тАЬI dare say, I dare say,тАЭ said Dr.┬аColes. + 

тАЬAnd I think I hurt somewhere,тАЭ said Vernon. тАЬI think I hurt very much.тАЭ + 

тАЬI dare say, I dare say,тАЭ said Dr.┬аColes againтБатАФnot very helpfully, Vernon thought. + 

тАЬPerhaps IтАЩd feel better if I got up,тАЭ said Vernon. тАЬCan I get up?тАЭ + 

тАЬNot just now, IтАЩm afraid,тАЭ said the doctor. тАЬYou see, youтАЩve had a fall.тАЭ + 

тАЬYes,тАЭ said Vernon. тАЬThe Beast came after me.тАЭ + 

тАЬEh? WhatтАЩs that? The Beast? What Beast?тАЭ + 

тАЬNothing,тАЭ said Vernon. + 

тАЬA dog, I expect,тАЭ said the doctor. тАЬJumped at the wall and barked. You mustnтАЩt be afraid of dogs, my boy.тАЭ + 

тАЬIтАЩm not,тАЭ said Vernon. + 

тАЬAnd what were you doing so far from home, eh? No business to be where you were.тАЭ + 

тАЬNobody told me not to,тАЭ said Vernon. + 

тАЬHum, hum, I wonder. Well, IтАЩm afraid youтАЩve got to take your punishment. Do you know, youтАЩve broken your leg, my boy?тАЭ + 

тАЬHave I?тАЭ Vernon was gratifiedтБатАФenchanted. He had broken his leg. He felt very important. + 

тАЬYes, youтАЩll have to lie here for a bit, and then it will mean crutches for a while. Do you know what crutches are?тАЭ + 

Yes, Vernon knew. Mr.┬аJobber, the blacksmithтАЩs father, had crutches. And he was to have crutches! How wonderful! + 

тАЬCan I try them now?тАЭ + 

Dr.┬аColes laughed. + 

тАЬSo you like the idea? No, IтАЩm afraid youтАЩll have to wait a bit. And you must try and be a brave boy, you know. And then youтАЩll get well quicker.тАЭ + 

тАЬThank you,тАЭ said Vernon politely. тАЬI donтАЩt think I do feel very well. Can you take this funny thing out of my bed? I think it would be more comfortable then.тАЭ + 

But it seemed that the funny thing was called a cradle, and that it couldnтАЩt be taken away. And it seemed, too, that Vernon would not be able to move about in bed because his leg was all tied up to a long piece of wood. And suddenly it didnтАЩt seem a very nice thing to have a broken leg after all. + 

VernonтАЩs underlip trembled a little. He was not going to cryтБатАФno, he was a big boy and big boys didnтАЩt cry. Nurse said so. And then he knew that he wanted NurseтБатАФwanted her badly. He wanted her reassuring presence, her omniscience, her creaking rustling majesty. + 

тАЬSheтАЩll be coming back soon,тАЭ said Dr.┬аColes. тАЬYes, soon. In the meantime, this nurse is going to look after youтБатАФNurse Frances.тАЭ + 

Nurse Frances moved into VernonтАЩs range of vision and Vernon studied her in silence. She too was starched and crackling; that was all to the good. But she wasnтАЩt big like Nurse. She was thinner than MummyтБатАФas thin as Aunt Nina. He wasnтАЩt sureтБатАКтБатАж + 

And then he met her eyesтБатАФsteady eyes, more green than grey, and he felt, as most people felt, that with Nurse Frances things would be тАЬall right.тАЭ + 

She smiled at himтБатАФbut not in the way that visitors smiled. It was a grave smile, friendly but reserved. + 

тАЬIтАЩm sorry you feel sick,тАЭ she said. тАЬWould you like some orange juice?тАЭ + 

Vernon considered the matter and said he thought he would. Dr.┬аColes went out of the room and Nurse Frances brought him the orange juice in a most curious-looking cup with a long spout. And it appeared that Vernon was to drink from the spout. + 

It made him laugh, but laughing hurt him, and so he stopped. Nurse Frances suggested he should go to sleep again, but he said he didnтАЩt want to go to sleep. + 

тАЬThen I shouldnтАЩt go to sleep,тАЭ said Nurse Frances. тАЬI wonder if you can count how many irises there are on that wall? You can start on the right side, and IтАЩll start on the left side. You can count, canтАЩt you?тАЭ + 

Vernon said proudly that he could count up to a hundred. + 

тАЬThat is a lot,тАЭ said Nurse Frances. тАЬThere arenтАЩt nearly as many irises as a hundred. I guess there are seventy-five. Now what do you guess?тАЭ + 

Vernon guessed that there were fifty. There couldnтАЩt, he felt sure, possibly be more than that. He began to count, but somehow, without knowing it, his eyelids closed and he slept.тБатАКтБатАж + 