"Yes; for His dear sake, my child. Yes, and you are to fret no more. Just do what you can; you are very useful to me, Clarice; and when you are tired, rest, and don't make yourself miserable. Thou hast but little strength, poor child; thy heart is greater than thy strength."
When Mrs. Egerton was moved, she sometimes fall into the "thee" and "thou" of her native tongue.
I have now given you a brief account of things which took three or four years in passing. Clarice was nine years old when she met with her accident, and I leave her now at thirteen, a sufferer still, but no longer a hopeless, repining sufferer. In the rest of my story, I hope to show you what kind of girl this poor little Clarice became, and how she bore her part in the battle of life.
[CHAPTER V.]
CONSULTATION.
SEVERAL years passed away, having brought with them several changes.
First, the universal failure of the potato crop all over Ireland utterly ruined many of the hard-working poor men who used to rent Mr. Egerton's fields; and the greater number of them emigrated—the greater number, I mean, of those who did not die of the terrible fever which followed the year of famine.
The land thus thrown upon their hands, Aymer and Guy manfully tried to work; but though Aymer would certainly have done well if he had a little capital, all he could do now was simply to ward off actual want. There was no help to be looked for from Egerton Highfield, for the kind older brother was dead; and Elise had lost both father and mother, and had no one left who could be expected to aid her. Actual want of bread was never felt at Ballintra, but, oh, it was a hard life!