ans now, both for her own
sake and theirs.

But the morrow decided the matter for her. Letty was irritable all day
and all night, and when the doctor came in the morning, he pronounced
her symptoms to be those of scarlet fever. So Christie and the other
children were banished to the attic-nursery again. She said not another
word about going home, except to her sister.

"Tell Effie I couldna get away. It wouldna be right to leave; would it,
Annie? I will try and not be very unhappy about it."

But the tears that rolled down her cheeks told how bitter the
disappointment was to her. Annie would have lingered a week, even to
the shortening of her visit at home, for the sake of having Christie go
with her; but this was not to be thought of. The fever might go through
the whole family. The doctor thought that most likely it would do so;
and she could not better leave at the end of a week than now.

"And don't tell them I was so very much disappointed about it," she
said, trying to smile, when Annie rose to go. "They must be all the
more glad to see me when I come. I couldna go, Annie. Now, do you
really think I could?"

They were up in the attic-nursery. Christie sat with the baby in her
lap, while little Harry hung about her, begging to be taken up. The
other boys were engaged in some noisy play near the window; but the
confinement up-stairs had already made them irritable, and Christie's
constant interference was required to keep the peace between them. How
much worse it would be if an entire stranger were put in the place of
her who had been their kind nurse all the winter! And the poor, anxious
mother down-stairs too, how much worse for her!

"No, Christie, dear; considering all things, I think you do right to
stay. But it is a great disappointment."

"Make Effie understand how it is." It was only by a great effort that
she restrained a flood of tears till her sister had gone. Then they
fell upon the baby's frock like rain. The boys looked on in
astonishment, and little Harry burst out into a frightened cry, wakening
the baby, who joined her voice to his.

"There! there! Hush, baby! hush! Harry, don't cry. Oh me! what shall
I do?"

There was but one thing to do, and she tried faithfully to do it;--it
was to forget herself and her disappointment, and devote herself to the
little ones for the day. And so she did, for that day and many days,
with better success than she had dared to hope for