you'll come again."

A thought darted into my head which brought sunshine with it. I seemed
to see my way begin to open.

The hope was warm in my heart as soon as I was awake the next morning.
With more comfort than for many days I had known, I lay and watched
Margaret making my fire. Then suddenly I remembered it was Christmas,
and what thanksgivings had been in heaven about it, and what should be
on earth; and a lingering of the notes of praise I had heard last
night made a sort of still music in the air. But I did not expect at
all that any of the ordinary Christmas festivities would come home to
me, seeing that my father and mother were away. Where should Christmas
festivities come from? So, when Margaret rose up and showed all her
teeth at me, I only thought last night had given her pleasure, and I
suspected nothing, even when she stepped into the next room and
brought in a little table covered with a shawl, and set it close to my
bedside. "Am I to have breakfast in bed?" I asked. "What is this
for?"

"Dunno, Miss Daisy," said Margaret, with all her white teeth
sparkling;--"'spose Miss Daisy take just a look, and see what 'pears
like."

I felt the colour come into my face. I raised myself on my elbow and
lifted up cautiously one corner of the shawl. Packages--white paper
and brown paper--long and short, large and small! "O Margaret, take
off the shawl, will you!" I cried; "and let me see what is here."

There was a good deal. But "From Papa" caught my eye on a little
parcel. I seized it and unfolded. From papa, and he so far away! But I
guessed the riddle before I could get to the last of the folds of
paper that wrapped and enwrapped a little morocco case. Papa and
mamma, leaving me alone, had made provision beforehand, that when this
time came I might miss nothing except themselves. They had thought and
cared and arranged for me; and now they were thinking about it,
perhaps, far away somewhere over the sea. I held the morocco case in
my hand a minute or two before I could open it. Then I found a little
watch; my dear little watch! which has gone with me ever since, and
never failed nor played tricks with me. My mother had put in one of
her own chains for me to wear with it.

I lay a long time looking and thinking, raised up on my elbow as I was,
before I could leave the watch and go on to anything else. Margaret
spread round my shoulders the shawl which had covered the Christmas
table; and then she stood