eemed
much worse than it used to be. And one morning the tall man with the
long beard looked at her foot a great while, and when it was covered
over again, he quite frightened Mary.

'It is very much better,' he said, 'and there is no reason why she
should not try to walk. In fact, the sooner she goes away the better.'

'There now,' said Sister Agatha when he had gone, 'what do you think of
that? Won't it be nice to walk again? You will like that, won't you?'

'No,' answered Mary; 'I shan't like it at all. I don't want to walk.'

'Oh yes, you will like it!' said Sister Agatha. 'Now suppose you try to
walk across the room.'

Mary rose from her chair, and Sister Agatha held her hand while she
limped along by her side. It felt odd to be walking again, and Sister
Agatha suggested she should race with her doll. So the doll was placed
in a corner, and then Sister Agatha turned the key, which was necessary,
she said, because the doll could not eat as Mary did, and the race
began. But although Mary seemed to walk much more slowly than the doll,
who made a great fuss whenever it walked a few yards, she reached the
door first. Sister Agatha clapped her hands, and gave Mary a prize; she
gave her a lump of sugar.

But although Mary laughed about the race, she began to look miserable
again when she remembered that the tall man had said she was to go away,
for of all things in the world she did not wish to leave Evangeline and
Sister Agatha. When Evangeline came to see her that afternoon, Mary
clasped her small arms round her neck and clung to her, and cried,
'Please don't send me away! Pray don't send me back to Mrs. Coppert!'

'Why, my dear child,' said Evangeline; 'I am not going to send you back.
I have never dreamed of such a thing.'

'But he said I was to go away,' answered Mary.

'So you are going away,' Evangeline explained; 'but not to William
Street. Sister Agatha and I are going with you, and I think you will
like it very much indeed.'

'I shall if you and Sister Agatha go,' said Mary, and now she felt more
satisfied, and she spent a happy afternoon with her toys. She went to
bed quite happily, but when her head had been some time on the pillow
Evangeline entered the room.

'Poor child!' she said, 'is she asleep yet?'

'Yes,' answered Sister Agatha, looking down at Mary's closed eyes; 'she
did not lie awake long to-night.'

'How alarmed she was at the idea of leaving us,' said Evangeline
quietly.

'And ye