g a
little, "and the lovely expressions that flit over her face! She is
not the usual child."

"I've been a little afraid to think that. So many of the child
prodigies flatten out and make ordinary people."

"And some of them never get the true opportunity. I've a boy under my
observation who is going to make a first-class surgeon, and I'm
persuading a man to educate him. His father is going to put him in a
foundry. Think of hands fitted for the nicest surgery being coarsened
by contact with rough iron and hard tools. He would lose the fine
touch by hard manual labor if he worked for his education. No one
knows all the children sacrificed to Moloch. But the little girl! Of
course she thinks of going back. She isn't even tugging at the chain.
But I, for one, don't believe God puts people in just the place He
wants them to stay, when He must see that they can't work out.
Well--did you get the girls off?"

"Yes, and they were a delighted lot. Three only are to have their
wages paid. Yet an employer told me about a week ago he had subscribed
twenty-five dollars to one of these girls' summer homes. That at four
dollars a week would have paid six girl's a week's wages. His name
goes down on the generous list of course. Oh, I don't wonder people
like to do the things that show! The things that only God can know do
not come up for credit. But it is 'deal justly' first of all."

"I'd like to stay and talk--but there is a serious matter before me.
Take good care of our little girl--but I needn't charge _you_. I'll be
in again tomorrow."

Miss Armitage went slowly upstairs, paused a few moments at her desk
to jot down some items. When she went through to the next room,
Marilla was asleep. The little face was framed in with rings of
shining hair, the lips were palely pink and parted with a half smile,
the skin still showed blue veins. With a little care, such as rich
people gave their children, she might grow up pretty, she would always
be sweet. And the pudgy babies with their wondering eyes loved her!

Marilla improved slowly but surely. She walked from room to room, and
one day she went down stairs to luncheon. Just the small round table
in the recess by the side window set out with all manner of pretty
dishes and a pretty glass basket of flowers in the center. And there
was Jane to wait upon them, and she seemed so pleased to have Marilla
down stairs though the little girl had held tight to the bannister,
lest she shoul