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CHAPTER ELEVEN
Kevin walked stiffly along the path beside the river. His head
throbbed, and from time to time he had to stop to rest. He carried
his left arm in a sling; his shoulder had been badly bruised. At
the hospital they had said it was lucky he was such aso strong and
well-built. He had come out of it allremarkably well. But still he
was shaken, and he had never before felt such weakness in his body.
He would not be able to work for a week or two and he knew that Mr
MaloneKelly would not be able to pay him when he wasn't working. Sickness
benefit wouldn not make up his pay. Another worry for his mother,
who was full enough of worries already.
She had been worried when he had come out this evening. "You
can't go out, Kevin," she had said, but he had told her he must. He
could not let Sadie down, leave her standing waiting for him wonder-
ing what why he had not come. And he had no way of sending her a
message, no one he could have asked to go to her house and explain.
Brede might have been willing but he would not have asked her to
take the risk for him.
Seven struckA clock sounded the half hour. He limped the last few yards to the spot where
they had arranged to meet. She was not there yet. He sighed with
relief. He leaned against a tree and took a few deep breaths. He
had made it, even though he had had to walk like an old man! He
grinned to himself. It was cooler tonight than it had been the evening
before, or perhaps it was just he that was feeling the cold. Rest
in bed for a week, they had told him. Lie in bed for a weekl It
