e," said Jem, laughing.

"Don't, Jem," said David, huskily. Something rising in his throat would
hardly let him say it, for the remembrance of old Tim, and that fair
day, and of his father's face, and voice, and words, came back upon him
with a rush, and the tears must have come if he had spoken another word.

"Is there no one here that can read? Papa will be disappointed," said
he, in a little.

No. There seemed to be no one. One old gentleman had not brought his
glasses; another could not read distinctly, because of the loss of his
front teeth; no one there was in the habit of reading aloud.

"Suppose you read it, David? You will do it first-rate," said old Mr
Wood. "We'll manage the rest."

David looked grave. "Go ahead, Davie," said Jem.

"What would papa say?" said David.

"He would be pleased, of course. Why not?" said Jem, promptly.

So when the singing and prayers were over, some one spoke to him again,
and he rose and opened the book with a feeling that he was dreaming, and
that he would wake up by and by, and laugh at it all. It was like a
dream all through. He read very well, or the people thought he did; he
read slowly and earnestly, without looking up, and happily forgot that
Jem was there, or he might have found it difficult to keep from
wondering how he was taking it, and from looking up to see.

But Jem had the same dreamy feeling on him, too. It seemed so strange
to be there without his father, and to be listening to Davie's voice;
and nothing was farther from his mind than that there was anything
amusing in it all. For sitting there, with his head leaning on his
hands, a very terrible thought came to Jem. What if he were never to
hear his father's voice in this place again? What if he were never to
be well?--what if he were going to die!

He was angry with himself in a minute. It was a very foolish thought,
he said; wrong even, it seemed to him. Nothing was going to happen to
his father. He was not very ill. He would be all right again in a day
or two. Jem was indignant with himself because of his thoughts; and
roused himself, and by and by began to take notice how attentively all
the people were listening, and thought how he would tell them all about
it at home, and how pleased his father and mother would be. He did not
try to listen, himself, but mused on from one thing to another, till he
quite forgot his painful thoughts, and in a little the book was closed
and David