Deep silence broken only by the clock's ticking and the baby's breathing.
"I think I must go," she added after a minute.
"That is mean of you," whispered I.
"I must go, too," whispered Munda. "They are always so anxious at home when I don't come."
"I must go too," whispered Mina.
Then I got a little angry. "Oh well, all right, go, every one of you! All right, go on, if you want to be so mean."
And only think, they did go! They ran out of the door, all three, without a word more. Just then the baby had another attack and I had to hold him up quite a long time before he could get his breath again.
And now I was all alone in Mother Brita's little house. Never in my life had I been in there before, and it was anything but pleasant, you may well believe. It was very dark in all the corners, and the poor baby coughed and coughed; the candle burned lower and lower and the clock ticked on slowly and solemnly. No sign of Mother Brita.
Well, I would sit here. I wouldn't stir from here even if Mother Brita didn't come back before it was pitch-dark night—no, indeed, I would not. I would not. Not for anything would I leave this pitiful little suffering baby alone.
He was certainly very sick, very, very sick; perhaps God would come to take him to-night. Just think, if He should come while I sat there!——