ed Beth of trying to frighten her, and said she would tell mamma.
Aunt Victoria discoursed earnestly on the wages of sin, the sufferings
of sinners, the glories of salvation, the peace on earth from knowing
you are saved, and the pleasures of the world to come; but the more
Beth heard of the joys of heaven, the more she dreaded the horrors of
hell. Still, however, she was too shy to say anything about her own
acute mental misery, and no one suspected that anything was wrong,
until one day something dejected in the child's attitude happened to
catch Aunt Victoria's attention.

Beth was sitting on an African stool, her elbow on her knee, her chin
resting on her little hand, her grey eyes looking up through the
window at the summer sky. What could the child be thinking of, Aunt
Victoria wondered, and surely she was looking thin and pale--quite
haggard.

"Why don't you get something to do, Beth?" the old lady asked. "It's
bad for little girls to idle about all day."

"I wish I had something to do," Beth answered. "I'm so tired."

"Does your head ache, child?" Aunt Victoria asked, speaking sharply
because her mind was disturbed.

"No."

"You should answer politely, and say 'No, thank you.'"

"No, thank you, Aunt Victoria," was the docile rejoinder.

Aunt Victoria resolved to speak to Mrs. Caldwell, and resumed her
knitting. She was one of those people who can keep what they have to
say till a suitable occasion offers. Her mind was never so full of any
one subject as to overflow and make a mess of it. She would wait a
week watching her opportunity if necessary; and she did not,
therefore, although she saw Mrs. Caldwell frequently during the day,
speak to her about Beth until the children had gone to bed in the
evening, when she was sure of her effect.

Then she began abruptly.

"Caroline, that child Beth is ill."

Mrs. Caldwell was startled. It was very inconsiderate of Aunt
Victoria. She knew she was nervous about her children; how could she
be so unfeeling? What made her think Beth ill?

"Look at her!" said Aunt Victoria. "She eats nothing. She has wasted
to a skeleton, she has no blood in her face at all, and her eyes look
as if she never slept."

"I am sure she sleeps well enough," Mrs. Caldwell answered, inclined
to bridle.

"I feel quite sure, Caroline," Aunt Victoria said solemnly, "that if
you take a candle, and go upstairs this minute, you will find that
child wide awake."

Mrs. Caldwell felt tha