"I don't believe you can carry it out;
she'll be sick."

"I'm dreadfully afraid she will," returned Comfort's mother.

"You'll have to tell her."

Mrs. Pease turned on Grandmother Atkins, and New England motherhood
was strong in her face. "Mother," said she, "I don't want Comfort to
be sick, and she sha'n't be if I can help it; but I've got a duty to
her that's beyond looking out for her health. She's got a lesson to
learn that's more important than any she's got in school, and I'm
afraid she won't learn it at all unless she learns it by the hardest;
and it won't do for me to help her."

"Well, I suppose you're right, Em'ly," said Grandmother Atkins; "but
I declare I'm dreadfully sorry for the child."

"You ain't any sorrier than I am," said Comfort's mother. And she
wiped her eyes now and then as she cleared away the breakfast dishes.

As for Comfort, she went on her way to school, looking as
industriously and anxiously at the ground as if she were a little
robin seeking for her daily food. Under the snowy blackberry-vines
peered Comfort, under frozen twigs, and in the blue hollows of the
snow, seeking, as it were, in the little secret places of nature for
her own little secret of childish vanity and disobedience. It made no
difference to her that it was not reasonable to look on that part of
the road, since she could not have lost the ring there. She had a
desperate hope, which was not affected by reason at all, and she
determined to look everywhere.

It was very cold still, and when she came in sight of the
school-house not a scholar was to be seen. Either they had not
arrived, or were huddling over the red-hot stove inside.

Comfort trudged past the school-house and went down the road to the
old Loomis place. She searched again every foot of the road, but
there was no gleam of gold in its white, frozen surface. There was
the cold sparkle of the frost-crystals, and that was all.

Comfort went back. At the turn of that road she saw Matilda Stebbins
coming down the other. The pink tip of Matilda's nose, and her
winking black eyes, just appeared above her red tippet.

"Hullo!" she sung out, in a muffled voice.

"Hullo!" responded Comfort, faintly.

Matilda looked at her curiously when she came up.

"What's the matter?" said she.

"Nothing," replied Comfort.

"I thought you acted funny. What have you been up that road for?"

Comfort walked along beside Matilda in silence.

"What have you been up tha