kept bright now, and the sills whitened; the
doorsteps, which used to be so dirty and neglected, were now kept
swept and whitened, too; and the lodgers appreciated the change, and
said so more than once.

So the days and weeks passed by, and the weeks became months, and
soon the months had become a whole year. Jessie could not believe it
when Charlie first drew her attention to the fact. A whole year!

What could have become of poor granny and granp all this time!
She wondered if they ever wept and wept, and longed for her as she
did for them. Sometimes, when the wind howled, or some one played
sad music in the streets, she felt as though her heart would break
with its weight of sad longing.

Fortunately for her, her days were too full and busy to allow of
constant repining; and at night she was too weary to lie awake long
grieving. Miss Patch had said, "Have faith and trust and all will
come right some day," and Jessie did try to have faith, and to trust
hopefully, though she worked hard and the fond poor, though her
father was neglectful and cruel, and her mother gloomy and reserved.

"God make my life a little flower,
That giveth joy to all,
Content to bloom in native bower,
Although its place be small."

She sang, and she did try hard to be content, and to do what she
could, and the result was that in many ways she was happy in spite of
all.

She loved Miss Patch, and the lonely little old woman loved her, and
helped her over many a stony bit of road. Charlie loved her, and
clung to her, too, and her mother, she fancied, was fond of her in
her own quiet, cold way. At any rate, she never beat her, as her
father did, or scolded and bullied her. But soon after her second
year in London had begun a new trouble, and a very heavy one, came to
Jessie. Charlie, she was sure, was getting worse.

He was growing thinner, and paler, and feebler, week by week.
The first time the truth dawned on her was one Sunday, when he said
languidly that he thought he would not go up to Miss Patch's room
that afternoon, he was too tired.

Jessie was so astounded that for a second or so she could only stand
and stare at him. Then, with a sudden sharp fear at her heart, she
flew to his side.

"Aren't you feeling very well?" she asked anxiously, and Charlie
shook his head, but with tears in his eyes, tears of weakness and
disappointment.

"Shall I ask Miss Patch to come down here?" she asked p