and I
can't bear it. I won't--I will not have it so!"

Then she turned and buried her face in the pillow beside her brother's,
crying so passionately that he had to become comforter himself; and his
thin fingers stroked her hair until she grew ashamed of her weakness and
looked up again, trying to smile.

"Forgive me, brotherkin. I'm such a baby, and I meant to be so brave! If
I could only take your lameness on myself, and give you my own strong,
active legs!"

"Don't, Amy! Besides, how often have you said that very same thing? Yet
it isn't any use. Nothing is of any use. Life isn't, I fancy."

Even the vehement Amy was shocked by this, and her tears stopped,
instantly.

"Why, Hal!"

"Sounds wicked, doesn't it? Well, I feel wicked. I feel like, was it Job
or one of his friends? that it would be good to 'curse God and die.'
Dying would be so much easier than living."

The girl sprang up, clinching her brown hands, and staring at her
brother defiantly.

"Hallam Kaye, don't you talk like that! Don't you dare! Suppose God
heard you? Suppose He took you at your word and made you die just now,
this instant? What then?"

Hallam smiled, wanly, "I won't scare you by saying what then, girlie. If
He did, I suppose it would all be right. Everything is right--to the
folks who don't have to suffer the thing. Even the doctor--and I liked
him as much as I envied him--even he preached to me and bade me not to
mind, to 'forget.' Hmm, I wish _he_ could feel, just for one little
minute, the helplessness that I must feel always, eternally."

Hallam was dearer to his sister than any other human being, and the
despair in her idol's tone promptly banished her anger against his
irreverence. She went down on her knees and caught away the arm with
which he had hidden his face, kissing him again and again.

"Oh! there will be some way out of this misery, laddie. There must be.
It wouldn't be right, that anybody as clever and splendid as you should
be left a cripple for life. I won't believe it. I won't!"

"How like father you are!"

Amy's head tossed slightly, and a faint protest came into her eyes, but
was banished as soon because of its disloyalty.

"Am I? In what way? and why shouldn't I be?"

"You never know when you're down nor why you shouldn't have all that you
want."

"Isn't it a good thing? Would it help to go moping and unbelieving?"

"I suppose not. Anyway, it makes things easier for you and him, and so,
maybe, fo