Did Grannie send the book because she also saw the resemblance?
"I must find out," thinks Betty. "Mother doesn't want me—she said so—and my head still aches."
So she lies down again, and begins to read, "The Talking-Bird: A Wonder-Tale."
"It's a real lovely story; I can see that. I was rather afraid that a book from Grannie might be rather dry—she's so very good."
Poor Betty! She has a great deal to learn yet, that is evident. Really good people are not dull; books that are good and true can certainly never be "dry." Betty wants to be good, she wants to walk in the Narrow Way, and follow her Saviour faithfully; but it all seems such uphill work; doing one's duty is such a tiresome, wearisome business; trying to be good is such a dull, uninteresting affair.
Her heart is still cold, you see; the fire of the Holy Spirit has not yet warmed it into loving life.
So Betty begins to read. The rose-clad cottage looks sweet enough, but Betty soon finds that there is very little sweetness in the maiden's life. Poor Gerda's lot is a hard one. She is always at work. She must spin, and bake, and milk cows; yet her stepmother never seems pleased with her.
Gerda's two brothers are out all day cutting wood in the great pine forests, but though she knits them warm stockings, and tries her best to cook them nice suppers, they never give her a smile, or a kiss, or a loving word. And Gerda says to herself:—
"It does not matter how I work, or what I do, I can never please anybody at all."
Betty pauses a moment. "How very like my experience!" she thinks. "Of course, I have to do different work—mend horrid stockings for Bob instead of knitting them, and sweep and dust instead of spinning; but the effect of it all is just the same, and Bob is exactly like that. I do all I can to please him. I always make the porridge myself, because he says it's 'lumpy' when Clara does it, but never a word of thanks do I get. Why, he couldn't even trouble to remember that to-day is my birthday, and I saved up for weeks and weeks to buy him a nice present on his birthday! It's too bad!"