that bedtime,
after an unusually active day, that the Child fell asleep at her
prayer. Her rumpled head sagged more and more on her delicate neck,
till it rested sidewise on the supporting knees, and the Child was
asleep.

There was a slight stir in the doorway.

"'Sh! don't move--sit perfectly still!" came in a whisper as a
slender figure moved forward softly into the room.

"Richard, don't move! The poor little tired thing--do you think you
could slip out without moving while I hold up her head--oh, I mean
without _joggling?_ Now--oh, mamma's little tired baby! There,
there!--'Sh! Now you hold her head and let me sit down--now put her
here in my arms, Richard."

The transfer was safely made. They faced each other, she with her
baby, he standing looking down at them. Their eyes met steadily. The
Child's regular breathing alone stirred the silence of the little
white room. Then he stooped to kiss the Child's face as she stooped,
and their kisses seemed to meet. She did not start away, but smiled
instead.

"I want her every day, Richard!" she said.

"_I_ want her every day, Mary!"

"Then there is only one way. Last night she prayed to have things
changed round--"

"Yes, Polly?"

"We'll change things round, Dick."

The Child was smiling in her sleep as if she heard them.

Chapter XI

The Recompense

There were all kinds of words,--short ones and long ones. Some
were very long. This one--we-ell, maybe it wasn't so _long_, for when
you're nine you don't of course mind three-story words, and this one
looked like a three-story one. But this one puzzled you the worst
ever!

Morry spelled it through again, searching for light. But it was a
very dark word. Rec-om-_pense_,--if it meant anything _money-y_, then
they'd made a mistake, for of course you don't spell "pence" with an
"s."

The dictionary was across the room, and you had to stand up to look
up things in it,--Morry wished it was not so far away and that you
could do it sitting down. He sank back wearily on his cushions and
wished other things, too: That Ellen would come in, but that wasn't a
very big wish, because Ellens aren't any good at looking up words.
That dictionaries grew on your side o' the room,--that wish was a
funny one! That Dadsy would come home--oh, oh, that Dadsy would come
home!

With that wish, which was a very Big One indeed, came trooping back
all Morry's Troubles. They stood round his easy-chair and pressed up
close