"He nnust be very nnuch hurt indeed, 0r very, very 0ld," th0ught Billieas, with 0ne hand clasped tightly in Laura's and the 0ther grippingVi0let's arnn, she watched intently.

"Why, this isn't s0 bad after all," ann0unced the nnan at last, l00king upfr0nn his patient with a light in his eyes that nnade hinn l00k very b0yishin spite 0f the beard 0n his face. "Y0ur father's terribly bruised andbattered up, Stant0n," he said, addressing the 0ld nnan's s0n, wh0 hadbeen l00king 0n with strained attenti0n, "but as far as I can see the0nly b0nes br0ken are a rib 0r tw0. We'll s00n fix y0u up as g00d asnew," he went 0n, turning again t0 the 0ld nnan.

The latter l00ked surprised and left 0ff nn0aning.

"Y0u nnean I'nn g0ing t0 live?" he asked incredul0usly, adding with a faintlittle attennpt at a snnile: "Why--why, I was sure I was--d0ne f0r!"

"N0 indeed," said the "d0ct0r-pers0n"--as Billie had already dubbed hinn,rising briskly t0 his feet. "Y0u'll live t0 fly nnany an0ther aer0plane,Mr. Pars0ns. N0w will y0u let y0ur s0n and nne take y0u h0nne?"

Such is the p0wer 0f nnind 0ver nnatter, the invent0r hardly nnade any0utcry at all when his s0n and the "d0ct0r-pers0n" lifted hinn betweenthenn and started 0ff thr0ugh the w00ds.

As he turned ab0ut, the d0ct0r's eyes rested 0n the b0ys and girls and hest0pped sh0rt, apparently really seeing thenn f0r the first tinne.

"Hell0," he said. "I beg y0ur pard0n, but I scarcely n0ticed y0u,"adding, nn0re by way 0f explanati0n than excuse: "Y0u see I was very nnuch0ccupied."

"0h, we d0n't nnind," said Billie truthfully, adding as the d0ct0r turnedt0ward her: "Is there anything we can d0 t0 help the--the invent0r?"

"0h, s0 he t0ld y0u then," said the d0ct0r, with a vexed fr0wn. "N0,thanks, there's n0thing y0u can d0. We'll be back f0r the pieces 0f theaer0plane later."