“Please don’t feel badly, dear Mrs. King,” begged Grace softly, turning comforter. “Oh! I wish you wouldn’t,” gently patting Polly’s shoulder.
“But I did not cry any more,” said Polly. “I remember I used to squeeze the tears back, when they seemed determined to come, as I thought about it; for Mamsie had told us it was very wicked to cry over anything we had done, because it distressed every one about us.”
“Did she?” asked Grace with great interest, as a wholly new idea struck her. “Why, I thought one’s eyes were one’s own, and one could do as she pleased with ’em.”
“Ah, but you see, no one of us can do as she pleases, Grace,” said Polly, shaking her head. “That you will find out more and more, the older you grow. And besides, Mamsie said it was a great sign of weakness to give yourself up to fits of crying after you had done wrongly. I remember what she used to tell us: ‘To set about righting the wrong was better than a million tears.’”
“Mrs. King,” exclaimed Grace suddenly, letting her hand fall idle on the bedspread, to peer into Polly’s face, “I think your mother must have been just the nicest”—mother, she was going to say, but pulled herself up in time—“person in all this world.”
“Oh, you can’t guess what she was—what she is,” cried Polly warmly, “till you see our Mamsie.”
“And I won’t cry another single bit,” declared Grace, setting her lips tightly together; and doubling up her handkerchief into a little wad, she threw it to the foot of the bed, as a thing for which there could be no further use.
“That’s right, dear,” said Polly, setting a kiss on the flushed cheek; “because, you see, it troubles Phronsie dreadfully. She’s made almost sick by it, Grace. You can’t think”—and Polly’s face drooped.
“Oh, dear, dear!” wailed Grace remorsefully, and wriggling about in distress; “what have I done? Oh! please, dear Mrs. King, do tell her I’ve stopped crying, and that I never will cry again in all this world. Please hurry, and tell her so this very minute.”
“So I will,” promised Polly cheerily, and going out. “And I will ask her to come in and see for herself how good you are.” She gave her a bright smile that seemed to hop right down into the sorry heart, telling her there was still some comfort left for her.