an you prepare and take with you two or three
things?"--he told her what.

Faith set about them; and when they were done, Mr. Skip had finished
his breakfast and got Jerry ready. Some other preparations Faith had
made beforehand; and with no delay now she was on her swift way to
little Johnny's bedside. She came in like a vision of comfort upon the
sick room, with all sorts of freshness about her; grasped Reuben's
hand, and throwing back her hood, stooped her lips to Johnny's cheek.
And Johnny gave her his usual little fair smile--and then his eyes went
off to the doorway, as if he half expected to see some one else behind
her. But it was from no want of love to _her_, as she knew from the way
the eyes came back to her face and rested there, and took a sort of
pleased survey of her hood and, her fur and her dress.

"Dear Johnny!--Can you speak to me?" said Faith tenderly touching her
cheek again to his.

"Oh yes, ma'am," he said, in a quiet voice and with the same bit of a
smile. That was what Faith wanted. Then she looked up.

"Are you going to school now, Reuben?"

"I didn't expect to this morning, Miss Faith," Reuben said with a sober
glance at his little comrade.

"Then you can wait here a bit for me."

Leaving Reuben once more in charge, Faith went on a rummaging
expedition over the house to find some woman inmate. Not too easily or
speedily she was found at last, the housekeeper and all-work woman deep
in _all work_ as she really seemed, and in an outer kitchen of remote
business, whither Faith had traced her by an exercise of determinate
patience and skill. Having got so fur, Faith was not balked in the
rest; and obtaining from her some of Johnny's clean linen which she
persuaded her to go in search of, she returned to the room where she
had left Reuben; and set about making the sick child as comfortable as
in his sickness he could be.

It was a day or two already since Johnny had lain there and had had
little effectual attention from anybody, till Mr. Linden came last
night. The child might well look at his new nurse, for her neat dress
and gentle face and soft movements were alone a balm for any sick
place. And in her quiet way, Faith set about changing the look of this
one. There was plenty of wood, and she made a glorious fire. Then
tenderly and dextrously she managed to get a fresh nightgown on Johnny
without disturbing him more than pleasantly with her soft
manipulations; and wrapping him in a nic