YOUNG KORNELIUS 89 



the works." The clock in the ward refused to go. 

 Korni offered to mend it. He spent a quiet day in 

 taking the clock to pieces his bed was strewn with 

 wheels and amateur tools. He must needs have his 

 dinner in the midst of the litter, for no hand must 

 disturb the arrangement of the fragments. It was 

 only a cheap clock, but by dint of much fitting and 

 trying and wrinkling of brows young Korni put it 

 together again, and for a time it did its duties. 



" Not much good," said Korni, jerking a scorn- 

 ful thumb at the clock, " sick insides." 



Now followed a time of tinkering with any clock 

 upon which he could lay his hands, and so long as 

 clock-mending was enough to hold his fancy, he 

 would sit quiet for hours. 



But one day a creaking noise told us that the bed 

 was on the move. Korni had discovered that it ran 

 on castors. 



This was a new joy to wheel himself about the 

 ward when we were not looking. But Korni was 

 never to be caught in full career. However suddenly 

 anyone went into the ward the bed was standing 

 still, maybe over by the window, with a meek and 

 proper Kornelius sitting in it looking at a picture 

 book, and no signs of any means of propulsion to be 

 seen. For this reason I am unable to tell you how 

 that boy with his helpless leg managed to travel as 

 he did. I suppose that Korni illustrates the proverb, 

 "Where there's a will there's a way." And then 

 his tin whistle ! Somebody gave Korni a tin whistle. 

 Hour after hour he whiled away the tedium with 

 shrill melodies. He mostly chose the solemn kind 



