"I do," replied Letty, firmly. "It is the only comfort I have. If I did not believe that this trial was sent to me by One who loves me and my child, and who cannot do wrong, I should lose my senses. If I could blame myself in any way—"
"Oh, of course you can't! You never were to blame in all your life!"
"In this case I certainly was not," said Letty. "I have the comfort of thinking that no child ever was better cared for than my Alick."
"He was a great deal too well cared for, in my opinion," said Agnes. "I dare say he might have lived if he had not been so cosseted and coddled."
"Come and read, Harry," said Letty to the little boy, who was quite absorbed in looking at the pictures in a new magazine. "Mother will be home to dinner; and then she will want her boy. Now, I hope you can spell every word this time, so we can go on to a new lesson to-morrow."
Agnes was quite offended by this evident design of Letty to cut off her further speech, which grew more and more violent.
"Never mind the lady, Harry: she is not talking to you," said Letty, as Harry looked up in amazement. "Now try that word once more. That is it. Now we will go to the next lesson," continued Letty, determined not to answer Agnes, since she well knew that, ii she trusted herself to reply, she should say too much. "There: that will do. Now you may go home; and be sure you ask mother to send the wool for the afghan, that I may begin it this afternoon."
"Oh, she has sent it!" exclaimed Harry. "Willy brought it down, and asked me to carry it over; but I forgot. I will run and fetch it this very minute."
And away he limped; while Letty went into her bedroom, put on a clean white linen apron and washed her hands.
"I dare say you let Madge run out and get cold that day she was here," said Agnes, who seemed bent on provoking Letty. "I dare say you did not take the least care of her; and now she is ruined for life. You could coddle your own boy enough; but you could not spare any care for my poor child. Do you mean to answer me, Letty Caswell? Or don't you?"