he two
sticks, one after another, and laid them upon the andirons, one for a
back-stick and the other for a fore-stick, as she had often seen Phonny
do. She then brought up a little cricket in front of the andirons, and
sitting down upon it there, she took the tongs and began to pick up the
brands and coals, and to put them into the interstice which was left
between the two sticks. She did all this in a very noiseless and gentle
manner, so as not to disturb Hepzibah; and she stopped very frequently
to look round and see if Hepzibah was still sleeping.

The air soon began to draw up through the coals which Malleville had
placed between the sticks of wood, and thus fanning them, it brightened
them into a glow. The brands began to smoke, and presently there
appeared in one part a small flickering flame.

'There!' said Malleville, in a tone of great satisfaction, 'it is
burning. Phonny said that I could not make a fire, but I knew that I
could.'

Malleville had been very careful all the time not to allow her
night-dress to get near the fire, and now, as the fire was beginning to
burn, she thought that she must move still further away. She accordingly
rose, and moved the cricket back. The fire burned more and more
brightly, and Malleville observed that the light of it was flashing upon
Hepzibah's face.

'I must make a screen for her,' said she, 'or the flashes will wake her
up.'

So she went to the bureau again, and brought forth a shawl, one which
she had often seen her aunt Henry use for this purpose. Then, putting a
chair between the sofa and the fire, she spread the shawl upon the back
of it, and found that it produced the effect of keeping the flashes of
light from Hepzibah's face entirely to her satisfaction.

Malleville then began to wonder whether it was not time for her to take
her medicine. She looked at the clock, to see if she could tell what
o'clock it was. She could not, of course, for she had never learned to
tell the time by the clock. Accordingly, after looking at the hands and
figures a few minutes in silence, and listening to the ticking, she
said:

'I cannot tell what o'clock it is, but it looks pretty late. I have a
great mind to take my medicine myself.'

She then turned to the table, where the lamp and the medicines were
standing. The cup was there in which Hepzibah had prepared Malleville's
medicine. Malleville took it up, looked at it, and stirred it a little
with the spoon.

'I wonder i