r kind face full of motherly emotion,

"Will the dear lady come and see a pretty sight? It's Nat listening
with all his heart to Demi telling the story of the Christ-child, like a
little white angel as he is."

Mrs. Bhaer had meant to go and talk with Nat a moment before he slept,
for she had found that a serious word spoken at this time often did
much good. But when she stole to the nursery door, and saw Nat eagerly
drinking in the words of his little friends, while Demi told the sweet
and solemn story as it had been taught him, speaking softly as he sat
with his beautiful eyes fixed on the tender face above them, her own
filled with tears, and she went silently away, thinking to herself,

"Demi is unconsciously helping the poor boy better than I can; I will
not spoil it by a single word."

The murmur of the childish voice went on for a long time, as one
innocent heart preached that great sermon to another, and no one hushed
it. When it ceased at last, and Mrs. Bhaer went to take away the lamp,
Demi was gone and Nat fast asleep, lying with his face toward the
picture, as if he had already learned to love the Good Man who loved
little children, and was a faithful friend to the poor. The boy's face
was very placid, and as she looked at it she felt that if a single day
of care and kindness had done so much, a year of patient cultivation
would surely bring a grateful harvest from this neglected garden, which
was already sown with the best of all seed by the little missionary in
the night-gown.

CHAPTER IV. STEPPING-STONES

When Nat went into school on Monday morning, he quaked inwardly, for now
he thought he should have to display his ignorance before them all. But
Mr. Bhaer gave him a seat in the deep window, where he could turn his
back on the others, and Franz heard him say his lessons there, so no one
could hear his blunders or see how he blotted his copybook. He was truly
grateful for this, and toiled away so diligently that Mr. Bhaer said,
smiling, when he saw his hot face and inky fingers:

"Don't work so hard, my boy; you will tire yourself out, and there is
time enough."

"But I must work hard, or I can't catch up with the others. They know
heaps, and I don't know anything," said Nat, who had been reduced to a
state of despair by hearing the boys recite their grammar, history, and
geography with what he thought amazing ease and accuracy.

"You know a good many things which they don't," said Mr. Bhaer