gers (although it was now six years
since the doctor had left her and gone home to heaven), and said to her
daughter:--

"That's always our luck! Just as soon as things seem to be going
straight with us, some terrible misfortune is sure to happen; we're the
most unfortunate family in the world."

The poor lady forgot that, with the one exception of her husband's
death, her life had been one of unmingled, as well as undeserved,
happiness; and even in that loss her three children had been spared to
her, friends had been raised up to help her, and there had never been a
day when she and her children had not had enough plain food to eat and
plain clothes to wear. It is thus that we are all apt to dishonor God by
dwelling upon the one thing which in his providence he has seen fit to
take away, and forgetting to thank him for all the many other blessings
he has given us.

But Katie was full of expectation and suppressed delight. She was the
opposite of her mother, and always expected good news, and she felt sure
that Mr. Sanderson would not have taken the trouble to come himself,
except to tell her that he had secured a place for her. Her eyes danced
as she let him in, and she looked inquiringly in his face. But he said
nothing, except:--

"Good-evening, Katie. I would like to see your mother a few moments." So
she ushered him into the "front room," so seldom used, and went to
summon her mother, waiting outside the door till she should herself be
called in to the consultation.

When Mr. Sanderson told Mrs. Robertson that he had called to say that he
had been successful in his application to Mr. Mountjoy, who had agreed
to take Katie into the "rag-room" of the paper-mill, in consideration of
his interest in her mother, she was completely taken by surprise and
inclined to be offended with both gentlemen for their interference, as
she thought it, with her business; but when she heard that the
application came from the child herself, while greatly surprised, she
could not but feel grateful to them for their trouble, and expressed
herself so, while she nevertheless decidedly declined to allow Katie to
accept the position, saying she was altogether too young and too
delicate, and that she would not have her daughter disgraced by working
for her living.

"For the matter of that," said Mr. Sanderson, "I shall be glad to have
my Bertie take the place if you don't want it for Katie. I have a large
family to bring up, and I want