having been put away with other more important old papers, has become
very worn and yellow, and you must forgive me if I leave out a piece
here and there, where it is too torn to read.

"'My dear Lottie and all the Chicks,--Your letter came very safely all
by itself the other day, just as well as if it had been in grandmamma's
as usual; and papa knew what an eager little woman his Lottie was, and
so he made his discoveries as soon as possible, and here they are! Poor
Susette, I don't wonder she was anxious to know all about her poor
father, and the rest of them. They have had a hard time of it since she
left them, but they are all so fond of her, and so glad to get news of
her. Such a good girl as she is to them all! Mind, children, you make
much of her, and don't add to all she has to worry about."

[Illustration: SUSETTE'S SISTER.]

At this point we all looked at Susette, and little Murray squeezed her
hand. Her black eyes were overflowing, and her rosy lips were pressed
tightly together; yet she was looking very happy and pleased.

Then Lottie went on:--

"'Heinrich and I set off at once to ----' (reader, I _cannot_ read the
name of the village!), 'but some time before we got there we met a
pretty Swiss girl, with a bundle of corn on her head, whose eyes and
mouth reminded me very much of your kind nurse. So I put my hand on
Heinrich's shoulder to stop him, and then I asked her if her name was
Laurec, and she said, "Yes." So we had a long talk, and she told me all
about them at home, and of the fever in the village, and the want of
work, and all the rest. I fancy it has been little short of starvation
for them all this long time. Then I let her hurry on to tell them at
home who was coming. Such a sweet hill-side village as I cannot hope to
make my little English birds understand, with its pretty chalets lying
against the rock, and the bushy trees shooting out of the cliff above
and around them. I went up to the one pointed out to me, and there,
lying on a heap of rags, was Susette's little blind sister, that she has
often talked to you about. Dear little patient thing! turning her large,
dark, sightless eyes towards me with such a bright smile! As she spoke
of "le bon Dieu," I thought of the pretty French hymns you used to try
to learn, and it gave the soft French words a softer sound when they
were on such a happy theme. But we could not stay there; so making our
little present to the dear child, we set off up t