d get out of the room. The cold water _had_
refreshed and strengthened her, much as she disliked and hated it; at
the same time the sense of hunger, from the same cause, grew keener
than ever. Matilda tried her very best to lay the patch straight, and
get it basted so. And so keen the endeavour was, so earnest the
attention, that though laying a linen patch by the thread _is_ a nice
piece of business, she succeeded at last. Mrs. Candy was content with
the work, satisfied with its being only basted for that time, and let
her go.

Matilda slowly made her way down to the lower regions, where Maria was
still at work, and asked for something to eat. Maria looked very black,
and demanded explanations of what was going on up-stairs. Matilda would
say nothing, until she had found something to satisfy her hunger, and
had partially devoured a slice of bread and meat. In the midst of that
she broke off, and wrapping her arms round her sister in a clinging
way, exclaimed suddenly--

"O Maria, keep me, keep me!"

"Keep you! from what? What do you mean, Tilly?" said the astonished
Maria.

"From Aunt Candy. _Can't_ you keep me?"

"What has she done?" Maria asked, growing very wrathful.

"Can't you keep me from her, Maria?"

"And I say, what has she done to you, Tilly? Do hold up and answer me.
How can I tell anything when you act like that? What has she done?"

"She says she'll give me a cold bath every morning," Matilda said,
seeming to shrink and shiver as she said it.

"A cold bath!" exclaimed Maria.

"Yes. Oh, can't you keep me from it?"

"What has put the notion in her head?"

"She used to do it to Clarissa, she says; but I think she wants to do
it to me because I don't like it. Oh, I don't like it, Maria!"

"She's too mean for anything," said Maria. "I never saw anything like
her. But maybe it won't be so bad as you think, Tilly. She and Clarissa
both take a cold bath every morning, you know; and they like it."

"I don't like it!" said Matilda, with the extremest accent of
repugnance.

"Maybe it won't seem so bad when you've tried."

"I have tried," said Matilda, bursting into tears; "she gave me one
to-day, and I don't like it; and I can't _bear_ to have her bathe me!"

Matilda's tears came now in a shower, with sobs of the most heartfelt
trouble. Maria looked black as a thunder-cloud.

"O Maria, can't you keep me from her?"

"Not without killing her," said Maria. "I feel as if I would almost
like to do