d at her languid face, she realized, more than ever, the change
which had come over the active little woman; and confident that nothing
but positive disease could have effected such a transformation, she
resolved that not another day should pass without her seeing a
physician.

Breakfast over, there were dishes to wash, rooms to be put in order,
dinner to be partially prepared; and all this Gertrude saw accomplished,
chiefly through her own labour, before she went to re-arrange her dress,
previous to her departure for the school where she had now been some
weeks assistant teacher. A quarter before nine she looked in at the
kitchen door, and said, in a cheering tone, to the old man, who was
cowering gloomily over the fire--"Come, Mr. Cooper, won't you go over
and superintend the new church a little while this morning? Mr. Miller
will be expecting you; he said yesterday that he depended on your
company when at work."

The old man rose, and taking his great-coat from Gertrude, put it on
with her assistance, and accompanied her in a mechanical sort of way,
which implied great indifference about going. As they walked in silence
down the street, Gertrude could not but resolve in her mind the singular
coincidence which had thus made her the almost daily companion of
another infirm old man; nor could she fail to draw a comparison between
the warm-hearted Uncle True, and the gloomy Paul Cooper. Unfavorable as
the comparison was to the latter, it did not diminish the kindness of
Gertrude towards her present charge, who was in her eyes an object of
sincere compassion. They soon reached the new church--a very handsome
edifice. It was not yet finished, and a number of workmen were
completing the interior. A man with a hod full of mortar preceded
Gertrude and her companion up the steps which led to the main entrance,
but stopped inside the porch, on hearing himself addressed by name, and
turned to respond to the well-known voice. "Good morning, Miss Flint,"
said he. "I hope you're very well, this fine day. Ah! Mr. Cooper, you've
come to help me a little, I see--that's right. We can't go on very well
without you--you're so used to the place. Here, sir, if you'll come with
me I'll show you what has been done since you were here last; I want to
know how you think we are getting along."

So saying, he was walking away with the old sexton; but Gertrude asked
him if he would see Mr. Cooper safe home when he passed Mrs. Sullivan's
house