ught it should be a pleasant change for thee."

"Ay, I dare say Father thought of us and what we should like," said
Cissy. "He nodded to Mistress Wade, and smiled on me, as he went forth;
so of course I had to 'bide. But then, you see, I'm always thinking of
Father."

"I see," said Rose, laughing; "it's not, How shall I do without Father?
but, How can Father do without me?"

"That's it," replied Cissy, nodding her capable little head. "He'll do
without Will and Baby--not but he'll miss them, you know; but they don't
do nothing for him like _me_."

This was said in Cissy's most demure manner, and Rose was exceedingly
amused.

"And, prithee, what dost thou for him?" said she.

"I do everything," said Cissy, with an astonished look. "I light the
fire, and dress the meat, [Note 1] and sweep the floor. Only I can't do
all the washing yet; Neighbour Ursula has to help me with that. But
about Father--please, when I've said the Paternoster [the Lord's
Prayer], and the Belief, and the Commandments, might I ask, think you,
for somebody to go in and do things for Father? I know he'll miss me
very ill."

"Thou dear little-soul!" cried Rose.

But Cissy was looking up at Elizabeth, whom she dimly discerned to be
the graver and wiser of the two girls. Elizabeth smiled at her in that
quiet, sweet way which she usually did.

"Little Cissy," she said, "is not God thy Father, and his likewise? And
thinkest thou fathers love to see their children happy and at ease, or
no?"

"Father likes us to be happy," said Cissy simply.

"And `your Father knoweth,'" softly replied Elizabeth, "`that ye have
need of all these things.'"

"Oh, then, He'll send in Ursula, or somebody," responded Cissy, in a
contented tone. "It'll be all right if I ask Him to see to it."

And Cissy "asked Him to see to it," and then lay down peacefully, her
tranquillity restored, by the side of little Will, and all the children
were asleep in a few minutes.

"Now, Bessy, we can have our talk."

So saying, Rose drew the stools into a corner, out of the way of the
wind, which came puffing in at the skylight in a style rather unpleasant
for November, and the girls sat down together for a chat.

"How go matters with you at Master Clere's, Bessy?"

"Oh, middling. I go not about to complain, only that I would Mistress
Amy were a bit steadier than she is."

"She's a gadabout, isn't she?"

"Nay, I've said all I need, and maybe more than I should."