a deal
when I'm alone, and sort of make plans in my head; but, of course, they
ain't real."

Poor Becky had plenty of opportunity for making plans in her head, for
since a year ago she had been alone nearly all day. Before that she had
been as gay and lively as the kitten itself, and as fond of play, but
one unlucky day she had fallen down some stone steps and hurt her back.
All her games were over now: she must lie quite still, Dr Price said,
and never run about at all, for a long time. That was a new thing for
Becky, who had scarcely known what it was to sit still in her life out
of school hours; but her back hurt her so much that she was obliged to
give up trying to do all the active things she had been used to, one by
one. Her father made her a little couch, and on this in her dark corner
she passed many weary hours alone, watching the hands travel round the
face of the Dutch clock, and longing for the time for Dan to come home
and talk to her. Dan was her chief friend, for though father was very
kind, he went early to work, and sometimes came back very late, so that
she saw little of him; and as for mother, poor mother went out charing,
and was so tired in the evening, that she generally dropped off to sleep
directly she had washed up the tea-things.

So Becky's life was lonely, and often full of pain, which was the harder
to bear because she had no companion to cheer her and help her to forget
it. She even grew to look forward to Dr Price's visits, short as they
were, for the day did not seem quite so long when he had clattered in
with his dogs at his heels, and spoken to her in his loud kind voice.
He was a nice gentleman, she thought, though he did not cure the pain in
her back. Besides Dr Price there was only Dan, and when on leaving
school Dan got a place as gardener's boy, Becky felt sad as well as
pleased, for he would now be away all day.

Just at this fortunate moment, when it was so much needed, the grey
kitten had arrived, to be her friend and playfellow, and to comfort her
with its coaxing ways. It was, as Dan had said, not nearly so dull now.
The kitten shared her meals, played all manner of games with her,
almost answered her when she talked to it, and when it was tired would
jump up to her shoulder and snuggle itself to sleep. The feeling of the
warm soft fur against her cheek was so soothing, that often at such
times she would take a nap too, and wake up to find that quite a long
while ha