BETTINA'S SECRET

Everybody needs a secret,"" Nurse Julia tells Bettina on one of her midnight visits. That explains the sudden appearance of Mrs. Rosebank and Bobo, the smiling paper dolls, and the green lantern swinging gently in the dark room; it doesn't explain who Nurse Julia is, but that doesn't matter--she is like an angel tending to the little worries that keep patients awake: Lars' dog and Otto's violin and Mr. Larsson's big toe. And she distracts Bettina from the tedium of a long hospital stay and from her annoyance with the other patients' problems, involves her with new friends and new projects. A nicely satisfying story with just enough hospital routine to reassure the pre-operative, just enough pleasure and pique to balance Betinna's personality, and not too much misty sentiment. By the time you find out that Nurse Julia's attentions have a very sensible explanation, it really doesn't matter; neither does the fact that the story is set is Sweden.