Year: 1868

her, because she would have given way
to fretting, if [ had seemed to believe
what the doctor said but, as I drew my
needle through my work till three hours
past midnight, had often to stop to wipe
the tears from my eyes.


There were only two of us-Lettie and
mvself-and we had neither father nor
mother, nor indeed any relative whom we
knew. Lettie was seventeen and [ was
four years older. We were both dress
makers, and either worked at home or
went out by the day. We lived in a
small thatched, three roomed cottage out
side the town, which had a nice garden
in front. Some people had told us that
if we moved into the town we should get
better employ but both Lettie and I
liked the place where we had been born
SO much better than the closed -in,streets
that we had never got changed, and were
not wishful to. Our rent was not much
butwe were rather put to it sometimes to
get it made up by the day, for our land
lady was very sharp upon her tenants,
and ifthey were ever so little behind
hand, she gave them notice directly.
[ set my wits to work how to get the
money to take Lettie to town; but all
that night no idea came to me, and the
next day it was the same. With two
pair of hands We had maintained our
selves decently; but how it was going to
be now that there was only one! Rich
| folks little think how hard it is for many
Of us poor day workers to live on our lit
tie earnings, much more to spare for an
evil day.


Sunday found me undecided, but that
was our holiday, and meant to see DIR.
Nash myself while Lettie was gone TO
chapel. She made herself worry nice, for
she had modest pride in her looks
which becomes a girl. I thought her
very pretty myself, and so did the neigh
bors she had clear, small features, and
a pale color in her cheeks, soft brown
hair, and hazel eyes. 1t was not easy to
see that anything allied them, unless you
looked into them very closely, and then
there was dimness to be seen about
them, which might be disease. She had
put off thinking about herself, and was
as merry as cricket when she went
down the lane in her white bonnet and
clean muslin gown. She nodded to me
& was watching her from the doorway,
and smiled quite happy I was as proud
OF Lettie as ever my mother had been
She was always such a clever warm heart
ed little thing for all her high temper.


When she was fairly gone, and tie
church bells ceased, [ dressed myself in
haste, and set off into the town to see DIR.
Nash. He was at home, and his man
showed me into the surgery, where I had
to wait maybe an hour When the Doc
tor came in, he asked sharply why I
could not have put off my visit until
Monday; was my business so pressing
He did not consider how precious were
the work days to us, or maybe he would
not have spoken so--for he was a bene
VIOLENT man, as we had every reason to
know; be having attended our mother
through her last illness as carefully as
though she had been a rich lady, though
we could never hope to pay him. I ex-
planned what I had came about, and he
softened then, but would not alter what
he had told Lettie herself.


"She has beep with me three or four
times" he said. ''She is an interesting
little girl it is great pity, but [ do not
think her sight can be saVed-I don't in
deed, Jane"


He explained to me why he was of this
opinion, and now the disease would ad-
vance more lengthily than needs to be set
down here. Then he said he could get
her admitted into the Blind Institute if
we liked and that [ must keep her we'll
| and send her out of doors constantly.
And so [ went home again with very lit
tie hope left, as you may we'll think, at
ter what [ had heard.


[ did not tell Lettie where [ had been,
and she never suspected. There was no
chapel that afternoon, and were getting
ready to take walk along the river bank,
as we generally did on fine Sundays, (for
all the town went there and it freshened
us up to see the holiday people far more
than if we had stopped at home reading
our books, as many say it is only right
to do, } when one of our neighbors came
in with her SON. Mrs. Crofts was Wild
ow, and Harry was studying medicine
with Doctor Nash: They were both kind
friends of our and, between Lettie and
the young man, there had been for ever
so long a sort of boy and girl liking; but
I do not think they had spoken to each
other yet Lettie colored up when Har-
ry appeared, and went into the garden to