ng woman tending her, lay a
child of five. Wan and pale as well could be, with perspiration standing
in great drops on the poor little hot forehead, the hand of death, as it
so often does, had put something into the face never there before.

"Oh, Mister Peter," the child said, on catching sight of him, "I said
you'd come."

Peter took his handkerchief and wiped the little head. Then he took a
newspaper, lying on a chair, twisted it into a rude fan, and began
fanning the child as he sat on the bed.

"What did you want me for?" he asked.

"Won't you tell me the story you read from the book? The one about the
little girl who went to the country, and was given a live dove and real
flowers."

Peter began telling the story as well as he could remember it, but it
was never finished. For while he talked another little girl went to the
country, a far country, from which there is no return--and a very
ordinary little story ended abruptly.

The father and mother took the death very calmly. Peter asked them a few
questions, and found that there were three other children, the eldest of
whom was an errand boy, and therefore away. The others, twin babies, had
been cared for by a woman on the next floor. He asked about money, and
found that they had not enough to pay the whole expenses of the double
funeral.

"But the undertaker says he'll do it handsome, and will let the part I
haven't money for, run, me paying it off in weekly payments," the man
explained, when Peter expressed some surprise at the evident needless
expense they were entailing on themselves.

While he talked, the doctor came in.

"I knew there was no chance," he said, when told of the death. "And you
remember I said so," he added, appealing to the parents.

"Yes, that's what he said," responded the father.

"Well," said the doctor, speaking in a brisk, lively way peculiar to
him, "I've found what the matter was."

"No?" said the mother, becoming interested at once.

"It was the milk," the doctor continued. "I thought there was something
wrong with it, the moment I smelt it, but I took some home to make
sure." He pulled a paper out of his pocket. "That's the test, and Dr.
Plumb, who has two cases next door, found it was just the same there."

The Blacketts gazed at the written analysis, with wonder, not
understanding a word of it. Peter looked too, when they had satisfied
their curiosity. As he read it, a curious expression came into his face.
A look n