You'll
be under the direction of Mrs. Robotham, my assistant. By the way, I
presume you have no objection to being designated by a number?"
"By a number?" inquired Frank, somewhat puzzled.
"Yes. You see many of our patients have queer notions. Names are strange
things to them. They often bring back painful memories. To avoid that we
are all known by numbers here."
"I don't mind in the least." In fact Frank was glad. This might be the
means of enabling him to keep his name hidden, and not necessitate him
giving a false one, which he did not like to do, even to gain his ends.
"Very good, I'm number one, Mrs. Robotham is number two, and so on.
You'll be number thirty-one."
"All right," Frank answered, and he was relieved when Dr. Hardman turned
away, without seeking to question him further. Clearly the red-haired
physician had not recognized the boy as the one who had followed him that
night in the darkness from Mr. Dent's house, nor the one he had run from
in the woods.
Mrs. Robotham came in at that juncture and, as He passed her in the
doorway, Dr. Hardman announced that he had engaged the boy.
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