ly claimed
Nettie's promise. And without a cloud crossing her sweet brow, she made
the cakes, and baked them on the stove, and served Barry until he had
enough; nor ever said how weary she was of being on her feet. There
were some cakes left, and Mrs. Mathieson saw to it that Nettie sat down
and ate them; and then sent her off to bed without suffering her to do
anything more; though Nettie pleaded to be allowed to clear away the
dishes. Mrs. Mathieson did that; and then sat down to make darns and
patches on various articles of clothing, till the old clock of the
church on the hill tolled out solemnly the hour of twelve all over the
village.

CHAPTER II.

SUNDAY'S REST.

Nettie's room was the only room on that floor besides her mother's and
Barry's. It was at the back of the house, with a pleasant look-out over
the trees and bushes between it and the spring. Over these the view went
to distant hills and fields, that always looked pretty in all sorts of
lights, Nettie thought. Besides that, it was a clean, neat little room;
bare to be sure, without even Barry's strip of rag carpet; but on a
little black table lay Nettie's Bible and Sunday-school books; and each
window had a chair; and a chest of drawers held all her little wardrobe
and a great deal of room to spare besides; and the cot-bed in one corner
was nicely made up. It was a very comfortable-looking room to Nettie.

"So this is the last night I shall sleep here!" she thought as she went
in. "To-morrow I must go up to the attic. Well,--I can pray there just
the same; and God will be with me there just the same."

It was a comfort; but it was the only one Nettie could think of in
connexion with her removal. The attic was no room, but only a little
garret used as a lumber place; not boarded up, nor plastered at all;
nothing but the beams and the side-boarding for the walls, and nothing
but the rafters and the shingles between it and the sky. Besides which,
it was full of lumber of one sort and another. How Nettie was to move up
there the next day, being Sunday, she could not imagine; but she was so
tired that as soon as her head touched her pillow she fell fast asleep,
and forgot to think about it.

The next thing was the bright morning light rousing her, and the joyful
thought that it was Sunday morning. A beautiful day it was. The eastern
light was shining over upon Nettie's distant hills, with all sorts of
fresh lovely colours and promise of what the