Lem Dow,
however, was on hand; that was one single drop of comfort. He looked
for his sugared almonds and they were on hand too; and besides that,
Matilda was able to see that he was quite pleased with the place and
the singing and the doings in his class, and making friends with the
boys.

"Will you come next Sunday?" Matilda asked him, as they were going out.
He nodded.

"Won't Jemima come too, if you ask her?"

"I won't ask her."

"No? why not?"

"I don't want her to come."

"You don't want her to come? Why it is a pleasant place, isn't it?"

"It's a heap more jolly if she ain't here," said Lem, knowingly.

It was a difficult argument to answer, with one whose general
benevolence was not very full grown yet. Matilda went home thinking how
many people wanted something done for them, and how she could touch
nobody. She was not allowed to go to church in the evening.

CHAPTER VI.

The days seemed to move slowly. They were such troublesome days to
Matilda. From the morning bath, which was simply her detestation, all
through the long hours of reading, and patching, and darning in Mrs.
Candy's room, the time dragged; and no sooner was dinner over, than she
began to dread the next morning again. It was not so much for the cold
water as for the relentless hand that applied it. Matilda greatly
resented having it applied to her at all by any hand but her own; it
was an aggravation that her aunt minded that, and her, no more than if
she had been a baby. It was a daily trial, and daily trouble; for
Matilda was obliged to conquer herself, and be silent, and submit where
her whole soul rose and rebelled. She must not speak her anger, and
pleadings were entirely disregarded. So she ran down in the morning
when her aunt's bell rang, and was passive under all that Mrs. Candy
pleased to inflict; and commanded herself when she wanted to cry for
vexation, and was still when words of entreaty or defiance rose to her
lips. The sharp lesson of self-control Matilda was learning now. She
had to practise it again when she took her hours of needlework. Mrs.
Candy was teaching her now to knit, and now to mend lace, and then to
make buttonholes; and she required perfection; and Matilda was forced
to be very patient, and careful to the extreme of carefulness, and
docile when her work was pulled out, and persevering when she was quite
tired and longed to go down and help Maria in the kitchen. She was
learning useful arts, no