He fell across her shoulder with so stiff a groan that for a moment she thought she had done him mortal injury.
"Good old mother," he said boyishly, to reassure her.
"Yes; and you'll behave to me like a son," she coaxed him.
They talked as by slow degrees the stairs were ascended.
"A crack o' the head, mother--a crack o' the head," said he.
"Was it the horse, my dear ?" "A crack o' the head, mother." "What have they done to my boy Robert ?" "They've,"-- he swung about humorously, weak as he was and throbbing with pain--"they've let out some of your brandy, mother...got into my head." "Who've done it, my dear ?" "They've done it, mother." "Oh, take care o' that nail at your foot; and oh, that beam to your poor poll--poor soul! he's been and hurt himself again.

And did they do it to him?
and what was it for ?" she resumed in soft cajolery.
"They did it, because--" "Yes, my dear; the reason for it ?" "Because, mother, they had a turn that way." "Thanks be to Above for leaving your cunning in you, my dear," said the baffled woman, with sincere admiration.

"And Lord be thanked, if you're not hurt bad, that they haven't spoilt his handsome face," she added.
In the bedroom, he let her partially undress him, refusing all doctor's aid, and commanding her to make no noise about him and then he lay down and shut his eyes, for the pain was terrible--galloped him and threw him with a shock--and galloped him and threw him again, whenever his thoughts got free for a moment from the dizzy aching.
"My dear," she whispered, "I'm going to get a little brandy." She hastened away upon this mission.
He was in the same posture when she returned with bottle and glass.
She poured out some, and made much of it as a specific, and of the great things brandy would do; but he motioned his hand from it feebly, till she reproached him tenderly as perverse and unkind.
"Now, my dearest boy, for my sake--only for my sake.

Will you?
Yes, you will, my Robert!" "No brandy, mother." "Only one small thimbleful ?" "No more brandy for me!" "See, dear, how seriously you take it, and all because you want the comfort." "No brandy," was all he could say.
She looked at the label on the bottle.

Alas! she knew whence it came, and what its quality.