"I don't mean to say anything naughty," she said. "Is it naughty, Miss Earnshaw?"
The young dressmaker had herself been rather taken aback by Peggy's queer speech, and for a moment or two scarcely knew what to say. But then her face cleared again.
"God can't make mistakes, Miss Peggy," she said, "and He is always kind. All the same there's many things that seem like one or the other, I know. It must be that there's reasons for them that we can't see—like when a doctor hurts anybody, it seems unkind, but it's really to do them good."
"Like when our doctor cutted poor Baby's tooths to make them come through," said Peggy, eagerly. "They was all bleeding, bleeding ever so, Miss Earnshaw. Baby didn't understand, and he was very angry. He always sc'eams at the doctor now. I almost think he'd like to kill him."
Baldwin opened his mouth wide at these bloodthirsty sentiments of Baby's. He was too shocked to speak.
"But it is only 'cos he doesn't understand," Peggy went on, placidly. "I don't sc'eam at the doctor. I speak to him quite goodly, 'cos, you see, I understand."
Baldwin closed his mouth again. He looked at Peggy with admiring respect.
"Yes," agreed Miss Earnshaw, greatly relieved at the turn their talk had taken, "that's just it, Miss Peggy. You couldn't have put it better."
"Peggy," said Baldwin, "when you're big you should be a clergymunt."