"O mamma I did not mean to wake you!" cried the little girl sitting up with her hand pressed to her cheek, "but the pain was so bad I couldn't help making a noise."
"My poor dear little girl! did you think your mother would want to sleep when her child was in pain?" Elsie said, clasping her in her arms. "No, indeed! so do not try to bear any pain alone another time."
Mamma's loving sympathy was very sweet; the pain was soon relieved, too, by some medicine she put into the tooth, and presently all was forgotten in sound refreshing sleep.
Elsie came into her mamma's dressing-room the next morning, along with the others, looking as bright and well as was her wont, yet with the boding fear that something would be said to her about having the troublesome tooth extracted.
However to her relief the subject was not broached at all; they had their usual reading and prayer, recitation of texts and talk with mamma about the lessons contained in them, and then the breakfast bell summoned them to their morning meal.
The tooth was quiet for a few days, then ached again for several hours harder than ever.
"O mamma, mamma, what shall I do?" sobbed the child in the midst of her pain.
"Couldn't my little girl pluck up courage enough to have it out?" asked the mother tenderly.
"O mamma, don't say I must! please don't; I'm so frightened at the very thought!"
"Ah, if I could only bear it for you, my darling! but you know I cannot."