children but the ones he can talk to here in the Fever Hospital. He says, Here’s the book, Frankie. Isn’t it a great pity you have to be reading all about England after all they did to us, that there isn’t a history of Ire- land to be had in this hospital. The  book  tells  me  all  about  King Alfred  and William  the  Con- queror and all the kings and queens down to Edward, who had to wait forever for his mother,Victoria, to die before he could be king. The book has the first bit of Shakespeare I ever read. I do believe, induced by potent circumstances That thou art mine enemy. The history writer says this is what Catherine, who is a wife of Henry the Eighth, says to Cardinal Wolsey, who is trying to have her head cut off. I don’t know what it means and I don’t care because it’s Shakespeare and it’s like having jewels in my mouth when I say the words. If I had a whole book of Shakespeare they could keep me in the hospital for a year. Patricia says she doesn’t know what induced means or potent cir- cumstances and she doesn’t care about Shakespeare, she has her poetry book and she reads to me from beyond the wall a poem about an owl and a pussycat that went to sea in a green boat with honey and money and it makes no sense and when I say that Patricia gets huffy and says that’s the last poem she’ll ever read to me. She says I’m always reciting the lines from Shakespeare and they make no sense either. Seamus stops mopping again and tells us we shouldn’t be fighting over poetry because we’ll have enough to fight about when we grow up and get married. Patricia  says  she’s  sorry  and  I’m  sorry  too  so  she  reads  me  part  of another poem which I have to remember so I can say it back to her early in the morning or late at night when there are no nuns or nurses about, The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees, The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, And the highwayman came riding Riding riding The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door. 196