For in this
large room the sun shone brightly, making long shining stripes across
the floor that made a dancing pattern on the ground, and amused the
child amazingly. Near the bed stood two little crutches; and now and
then his mother lifted the little cripple from his bed, placed the
crutches under his arms, and led him about the room once or twice; for
he could not walk, nor even stand alone. His little legs were quite
paralyzed, and he had never been able to use them at all.
When Rico entered the room, the child pulled himself into a sitting
position by means of a long rope that hung down over his bed from the
ceiling for that purpose; for he could not sit up without assistance.
Rico went to the bedside, and looked at the child in silence. Such
little thin arms and small slender fingers, and such a pale little face,
Rico had never seen; and two big eyes looked forth from the face, and
gazed at Rico as if they would pierce him through and through; for the
child, who seldom saw any thing new, and longed for variety with all his
heart, examined every thing that came in his way very sharply.
"What is your name?" asked the child.
"Rico."
"Mine is Silvio. How old are you?"
"Almost eleven."
"And so am I," said the child.
"O Silvio! what are you saying?" said his mother at this. "You are not
quite four yet.
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