Susie looked down at the book lying in her lap. "I was thinking about mother," she said.
"Are you getting tired of living with me?" asked Elfie quickly.
"Oh no; you're very kind. I don't know what I should do without you, Elfie; but I do want my mother," said Susie through her tears.
Elfie looked puzzled. She was beginning to understand that all the mothers in the world were not like hers—that Susie's was not; and she could not understand why Mrs. Sanders had gone away and left her.
"What made her go away?" she asked.
Susie left off crying to look at her companion in surprise. "Don't you know God took her to heaven?" she said.
"Yes, I know, you said that before," answered Elfie impatiently; "but what made him take her?"
"Because he loved her," said Susie.
"But you said just now he loved you; why didn't he take you up there as well?"
"I asked mother about that one day, when she was telling me she should have to go away; but she said she thought God had some work for me to do in the world first before he took me home." And Susie dried her tears, and tried to be brave and choke back her sobs as she spoke.