I sat up in my
bed; the feelings which filled my little heart overflowed my lips, and
I said in a whisper: "Oh, Cousin Maud! Surely my mammy might kiss me for
once, and fondle me as Mistress Stromer does her little Clare."

Cousin Maud set the lamp on the table, and without a word she lifted me
out of bed and held me up quite close to the face of the picture; and I
understood. My lips softly touched the red lips on the canvas; and, as
I was all the happier, I fancied that my mother in Heaven must be glad
too.

Then my cousin sighed: "Well, well!" and murmured other words to
herself; she laid me in the bed again, tucked the coverlet tightly
round me as I loved to have it, gave me another kiss, waited till I had
settled my head on the pillow, and whispered: "Now go to sleep and dream
of your sainted mother."

She quitted the room; but she had left the lamp, and as soon as I was
alone I looked once more at the picture, which showed me my mother in
right goodly array. She had a rose on her breast, her golden fillet
looked like the crown of the Queen of Heaven, and in her robe of rich,
stiff brocade she was like some great Saint. But what seemed to me more
heavenly than all the rest was her rose and white young face, and the
sweet mouth which I had touched with my lips. Oh if I had but once had
the happiness of kissing that mouth in life! A sudden feeling glowed in
my heart, and an inward voice told me that a thousand kisses from Cousin
Maud would never be worth one single kiss from that lovely young mother,
and that I had indeed lost almost as much as my pitying friends had
said. And I could not help sorrowing, weeping for a long time; I felt as
though I had lost just what was best and dearest, and for the first time
I saw that my good cousin was right ugly as other folks said, and my
silly little head conceived that a real mother must be fair to look
upon, and that however kind any one else might be she could never be so
gracious and lovable.

And so I fell asleep; and in my dreams the picture came towards me out
of the frame and took me in her arms as Madonna takes her Holy Child,
and looked at me with a gaze as if all the love on earth had met in
those eyes. I threw my arms round her neck and waited for her to fondle
and play with me like Mistress Stromer with her little Clare; but she
gently and sadly shook her head with the golden crownlet, and went up to
Cousin Maud and set me in her lap.

"I have never forgot t