eze among the branches was the only
thing left to hear, beside the dripping of the rain drops shaken from
the leaves, Juanita shut the door and came to Daisy. The child was lying
white and still, with her eyes closed. Very white and thin the little
face looked, indeed; and under each eyelid lay a tear glistening, that
had forced its way so far into notice. Juanita said not a word just
then; she bustled about and made herself busy. Not that Juanita's busy
ways were ever bustling in reality; she was too good a nurse for that;
but she had several things to do. The first was to put up a screen at
the foot of Daisy's couch. She lay just a few feet from the door, and
everybody coming to the door and having it opened, could look in if he
pleased; and so Daisy would have no privacy at all. That would not do;
Juanita's wits went to work to mend the matter. Her little house had
been never intended for more than one person. There was another room in
it, to be sure, where Mrs. Benoit's own bed was; so that Daisy could
have the use and possession of this outer room all to herself.

Juanita went about her business too noiselessly to induce even those
closed eyelids to open. She fetched a tolerably large clothes-horse from
somewhere--some shed or out-building; this she set at the foot of the
couch, and hung an old large green moreen curtain over it. Where the
curtain came from, one of Mrs. Benoit's great locked chests knew; there
were two or three such chests in the inner room, with more treasures
than a green moreen curtain stowed away in them. The curtain was too
large for the clothes-horse to hold up; it lay over the floor. Juanita
got screws and cords; fixed one screw in the wall, another in the
ceiling, and at last succeeded in stretching the curtain neatly on the
cords and the clothes-horse, where she wanted it to hang. That was done;
and Daisy's couch was quite sheltered from any eyes coming to the door
that had no business to come further. When it was finished, and the
screws and cords put away, Juanita came to Daisy's side. The eyes were
open now.

"That is nice," said Daisy.

"It'll keep you by yourself, my little lady. Now what will she have?"

"Nothing--only I am thirsty," said Daisy.

Juanita went to the well for some cold water, and mixed with it a
spoonful of currant jelly. It was refreshing to the poor little dry
lips.

"What will my love have next?"

"I don't know," said Daisy--"my foot aches a good deal, and