n light adding itself to the
glow in her eyes--"Becky is the prisoner in the next cell."

She turned to Ermengarde, looking quite like the old Sara.

"I shall pretend that," she said; "and it will be a great comfort."

Ermengarde was at once enraptured and awed.

"And will you tell me all about it?" she said. "May I creep up here at
night, whenever it is safe, and hear the things you have made up in the
day? It will seem as if we were more 'best friends' than ever."

"Yes," answered Sara, nodding. "Adversity tries people, and mine has
tried you and proved how nice you are."

9

Melchisedec

The third person in the trio was Lottie. She was a small thing and did
not know what adversity meant, and was much bewildered by the
alteration she saw in her young adopted mother. She had heard it
rumored that strange things had happened to Sara, but she could not
understand why she looked different--why she wore an old black frock
and came into the schoolroom only to teach instead of to sit in her
place of honor and learn lessons herself. There had been much
whispering among the little ones when it had been discovered that Sara
no longer lived in the rooms in which Emily had so long sat in state.
Lottie's chief difficulty was that Sara said so little when one asked
her questions. At seven mysteries must be made very clear if one is to
understand them.

"Are you very poor now, Sara?" she had asked confidentially the first
morning her friend took charge of the small French class. "Are you as
poor as a beggar?" She thrust a fat hand into the slim one and opened
round, tearful eyes. "I don't want you to be as poor as a beggar."

She looked as if she was going to cry. And Sara hurriedly consoled her.

"Beggars have nowhere to live," she said courageously. "I have a place
to live in."

"Where do you live?" persisted Lottie. "The new girl sleeps in your
room, and it isn't pretty any more."

"I live in another room," said Sara.

"Is it a nice one?" inquired Lottie. "I want to go and see it."

"You must not talk," said Sara. "Miss Minchin is looking at us. She
will be angry with me for letting you whisper."

She had found out already that she was to be held accountable for
everything which was objected to. If the children were not attentive,
if they talked, if they were restless, it was she who would be reproved.

But Lottie was a determined little person. If Sara would not tell her
where she lived