"Nothing is right," said Maria; "and nothing is going to be, I guess, while they are here."
"Then think, what would mamma do if they went away?"
"I wish I could go away, then!" said Maria, beginning to cry. "I can't bear to live so! 'Why do you do so,' and 'why do you do so;' and Clarissa sitting by with that little smile on her mouth, and lifting up her eyes to look at you—it just makes me mad. There! It is a pity Aunt Candy wasn't here to be shocked at American children."
"But, Maria," said Matilda with her eyes swimming too, "you know the Lord Jesus has given us this work."
"No, I don't!" said Maria; "and what if He did?"
"Why, then, it would please Him—you know, Maria, it would please Him—to have us do it just nicely and beautifully, and not like kitchen maids, but like His children. You know we said we were ready to do any work that he would give us."
"I didn't," said Maria, half crying, half pouting. "I didn't promise to do this sort of thing."
"But we mustn't choose," said Matilda.
"But we did choose," said Maria. "I said what I would do, and other people said what they would do; and nobody said anything about washing dishes and peeling potatoes. We were not talking of that."
"The covenant says, 'we stand ready to do His will.' Don't you know?"