to the window.

The book was a sad drawback to Ellen's happiness, for she never looked
in it unless obliged, and her mother had always great difficulty in
fixing her attention on it when she wished to do so.

Mrs. Danvers rose from her seat, and quietly lowered the venetian blind,
and Ellen again stole back to her seat. She looked out of the corner of
one of her little blue eyes to see if her mother was angry, and again
for a few minutes was very assiduous. Presently the room door opened,
and a servant entered to say that a poor woman wished to speak to his
mistress. Mrs. Danvers desired that the woman should be shown into the
room, and she entered, leading in her hand a little girl about the age
of Ellen. Ellen's eyes were immediately diverted from her book, but her
mother on this occasion said nothing.

The poor woman came to entreat assistance for her sick husband, who was
unable to go to his work, and for her little girl, who had cut her
finger very badly. The child's finger was covered with a piece of rag,
which was soaked with blood, and tears streaming from her eyes showed
that she was in pain.

'How was the finger cut?' said Mrs. Danvers.

'In helping father cut a piece of wood to mend Charley's hayfork,'
replied the child. 'Father fell down in a fit, and let the knife fall
upon my finger.'

'It is a bad cut,' said Mrs. Danvers. 'Run, Ellen, and ask Sarah for
some rag, and we will tie it up for her.'

Ellen was out of the room in a minute, for she liked running about and
waiting upon anyone in distress. Indeed, Ellen was on the whole a good
little girl, though she could not be made to like either her book or her
work. She soon returned with the rag, and Mrs. Danvers tied up the
little girl's finger, and gave her a nice slice of cake to divert her
attention from the pain she was suffering.

'Is it painful now?' said Mrs. Danvers.

'No, madam,' replied the child, but she still continued to cry.

'Then do not cry any more, and it will be soon well.'

'Mary does not cry so much about the pain, madam,' said the poor woman,
'as because you see it is her thimble finger;' and she held the little
girl's hand up.

Ellen thought this could be no very great misfortune, but Ellen was a
silly little girl to think so, and so she was convinced when the poor
woman said that Mary did needlework enough to keep her in shoes, and
with the pennies she got by reading her book well at school she had
bought two nice pinaf