e. For amidst so many beautiful
things she was sure she could do Christmas work charmingly; and at any
rate it was delightful only to look at them. She tried to get her
thoughts a little in order. For Norton, she would make the watch guard;
that was one thing fixed. A delicate bronze paperweight, a beautiful
obelisk, had greatly taken her fancy, and Norton had been describing to
her the use of its originals in old Egypt; it was not very costly, and
Matilda thought she would like to give that to Mrs. Laval. But she
would not decide till she saw more; and for her sisters, and for
everybody else indeed, she was quite uncertain yet what to choose. She
thought about it so hard all the evening that she was able to throw off
the gloom of David and Judy's darkened looks.

Next day, however, she had too much time to think. It was Sunday.
Matilda was up in good time, as usual, and came down for breakfast; but
there was no breakfast and nobody to eat it, till the clock shewed the
half hour before ten. Bells had been ringing long ago for Sunday
school, and had long ago stopped. Matilda was so hungry, that breakfast
when it came made some amends for other losses; but then it was church
time. And to her dismay she found that nobody was going to church. The
long morning had to be spent as it could, with reading and thinking.
Matilda persuaded Norton to take her to church in the afternoon, that
she might know the way.

"It don't pay, Pink," said Norton; "however, I'll go with you, and you
can see for yourself."

Matilda went and saw. A rich, splendid, luxuriously furnished church; a
warm close atmosphere which almost put her to sleep; and a
smooth-tongued speaker in the pulpit, every one of whose easy going
sentences seemed to pull her eyelids down. Matilda struggled, sat
upright, pinched her fingers, looked at the gay colours and intricate
patterns of a painted window near her, and after all had as much as she
could do to keep from nodding. She was very glad to feel the fresh air
outside again.

"Well," said Norton. "Do you feel better?"

"Is that Dr. Blandford?"

"That is he. A jolly parson, ain't he?"

"The church was so warm," said Matilda.

"_He_ keeps cool," said Norton. "That's one thing about Dr. Blandford.
You always know where to have him."

"I wish Mr. Richmond was here," said Matilda.

The wish must have been strong; for that very evening, when she went to
her room, earlier than usual because everybody was read