“You know best, kind sir . . .” sighed the woman.

“Kind sir. . . .  She’s let the boy’s arm rot, and now it is ’kind sir.’  What kind of workman will he be without an arm?  You’ll be nursing him and looking after him for ages.  I bet if you had had a pimple on your nose, you’d have run to the hospital quick enough, but you have left your boy to rot for six months.  You are all like that.”

The doctor lighted a cigarette.  While the cigarette smoked, he scolded the woman, and shook his head in time to the song he was humming inwardly, while he thought of something else.  Pashka stood naked before him, listening and looking at the smoke.  When the cigarette went out, the doctor started, and said in a lower tone: 

“Well, listen, woman.  You can do nothing with ointments and drops in this case.  You must leave him in the hospital.”

“If necessary, sir, why not?

“We must operate on him.  You stop with me, Pashka,” said the doctor, slapping Pashka on the shoulder.  “Let mother go home, and you and I will stop here, old man.  It’s nice with me, old boy, it’s first-rate here.  I’ll tell you what we’ll do, Pashka, we will go catching finches together.  I will show you a fox!  We will go visiting together!  Shall we?  And mother will come for you tomorrow!  Eh?”

Pashka looked inquiringly at his mother.

“You stay, child!” she said.

“He’ll stay, he’ll stay!” cried the doctor gleefully.  “And there is no need to discuss it.  I’ll show him a live fox!  We will go to the fair together to buy candy!  Marya Denisovna, take him upstairs!”

The doctor, apparently a light-hearted and friendly fellow, seemed glad to have company; Pashka wanted to oblige him, especially as he had never in his life been to a fair, and would have been glad to have a look at a live fox, but how could he do without his mother?

After a little reflection he decided to ask the doctor to let his mother stay in the hospital too, but before he had time to open his mouth the lady assistant was already taking him upstairs.  He walked up and looked about him with his mouth open.  The staircase, the floors, and the doorposts—­everything huge, straight, and bright-were painted a splendid yellow colour, and had a delicious smell of Lenten oil.  On all sides lamps were hanging, strips of carpet stretched along the floor, copper taps stuck out on the walls.  But best of all Pashka liked the bedstead upon which he was made to sit down, and the grey woollen coverlet.  He touched the pillows and the coverlet with his hands, looked round the ward, and made up his mind that it was very nice at the doctor’s.

The ward was not a large one, it consisted of only three beds.  One bed stood empty, the second was occupied by Pashka, and on the third sat an old man with sour eyes, who kept coughing and spitting into a mug.  From Pashka’s bed part of another ward could be seen with two beds; on one a very pale wasted-looking man with an india-rubber bottle on his head was asleep; on the other a peasant with his head tied up, looking very like a woman, was sitting with his arms spread out.