the excited
girl. "Oh, Hester! don't turn away from me; do let us be unhappy
together."

"But you did not care for Nan."

"I did--we all loved the pretty darling."

"Suppose I never see her again?" said Hester half wildly. "Oh, Cecil! and
mother left her to me! mother gave her to me to take care of, and to
bring to her some day in heaven. Oh, little Nan, my pretty, my love, my
sweet! I think I could better bear her being dead than this."

"You could, Hester," said Cecil, "if she was never to be found; but I
don't think God will give you such a terrible punishment. I think little
Nan will be restored to you. Let us ask God to do it, Hetty--let us kneel
down now, we two little girls, and pray to Him with all our might."

"I can't pray; don't ask me," said Hester, turning her face away.

"Then I will."

"But not here, Cecil. Cecil, I am not good--I am not good enough to
pray."

"We don't want to be good to pray," said Cecil. "We want perhaps to be
unhappy--perhaps sorry; but if God waited just for goodness, I don't
think He would get many prayers."

"Well, I am unhappy, but not sorry. No, no; don't ask me, I cannot pray."

CHAPTER XLIII.

SUSAN.

Mrs. Willis came back at a very late hour from Sefton. The police were
confident that they must soon discover both children, but no tidings had
yet been heard of either of them. Mrs. Willis ordered her girls to bed,
and went herself to kiss Hester and give her a special "good-night." She
was struck by the peculiarly unhappy, and even hardened, expression on
the poor child's face, and felt that she did not half understand her.

In the middle of the night Hester awoke from a troubled dream. She awoke
with a sharp cry, so sharp and intense in its sound that had any girl
been awake in the next room she must have heard it. She felt that she
could no longer remain close to that little empty cot. She suddenly
remembered that Susan Drummond would be alone to-night: what time so good
as the present for having a long talk with Susan and getting her to clear
Annie? She slipped out of bed, put on her dressing-gown, and softly
opening the door, ran down the passage to Susan's room.

Susan was in bed, and fast asleep. Hester could see her face quite
plainly in the moonlight, for Susan slept facing the window, and the
blind was not drawn down.

Hester had some difficulty in awakening Miss Drummond, who, however, at
last sat up in bed yawning prodigiously.

"What is