is she turned her attention to poor Feelier, rearranging her
pillow, and ending by bathing her face and hands, the poor girl uttering
a sigh of relief and pleasure, sinking back afterwards upon her cool
pillow, too weak almost to raise her arm.

"There, now you feel more comfortable, don't you, my dear?" whispered
the busy little woman.

"Oh, yes, and--and--and--please--please I'll never do so no more."

Poor Feelier burst into a passionate fit of tearful remorse, sobbing
wildly in spite of little Miss Burge's efforts to calm her.

"Oh! hush, hush, my dear; pray be still."

"I--I--I used to make faces at you in school," sobbed Feelier.

"Yes, yes, yes; but hush my dear. You only did it in fun."

"N-no, I didn't," sobbed Feelier; "I did it to make--make the other
girls laugh."

"But hush, pray hush, or you'll hurt poor Miss Thorne."

Feelier's sobs ended in one large gulp, as if by magic, and she lay
perfectly still, staring at the other bed.

"Please, Miss Burge," she whispered, "will you bring some of your roses
and put in water by teacher's pillow?"

"Yes, my dear, that I will," said the little lady, patting Feelier's
hand. "And now lie still, and don't talk; let's keep the room quiet,
and try to make her better."

"Yes, Miss Burge; but please will teacher get well?"

"Why, surely, my dear; and very soon."

"Because mother said I was a little wretch and gave teacher the fever,
and I wish I may die instead."

"But you shall both get well, my dear, very soon; and then you shall
both go down to the sea, and you shall be Miss Thorne's little maid."

"Shall I?" cried the girl, with her eyes sparkling and a flush coming
into her thin, sunken cheeks.

"Yes, that you shall, my dear; only lie very still, and don't talk."

"Please, Miss Burge," whispered Feelier, "let me tell you this."

"Well, only this one thing, and then you must be very quiet, my dear."

"Yes, I will," whispered Feelier, in a quiet, old-fashioned way; "but
that's how teacher keeps on all night and all day; she keeps on wanting
Mr William Forth Burge to come to her, and mother says I kep' on just
the same, asking for teacher to come, and I was quiet when she did, and
then"--sob--"she caught the fever too."

"Yes, yes, my dear; but you'll soon do better now."

"But you'd better let old Billy Burge--"

Feelier stopped short, conscious of the slip of her guilty tongue, and
looked up at her gentle attendant as if she expected a blow.