“Of course.  I told you so, didn’t I?”

“Well, but why does that help them any?  Can’t they get up unless you make holes in them, and what is all the reason for it?”

Now, these were not easy questions to answer, especially to a girl with the toothache, and Ester’s answer was not much to the point.

“Julia, I declare you are enough to distract one.  If you ask any more questions I shall certainly send you up stairs out of the way.”

Her scientific investigations thus nipped in the bud, Julia returned again to silence and raisins, until the vigorous beating of some eggs roused anew the spirit of inquiry.  She leaned eagerly forward with a—­

“Say, Ester, please tell me why the whites all foam and get thick when you stir them, just like beautiful white soapsuds.”  And she rested her elbow, covered with its blue sleeve, plump into the platter containing the beaten yolks.  You must remember Ester’s face-ache, but even then I regret to say that this disaster culminated in a decided box on the ear for poor Julia, and in her being sent weeping up stairs.  Sadie looked up with a wicked laugh in her bright eyes, and said, demurely: 

“You didn’t keep your promise, Ester, and let me live in peace, so I needn’t keep mine and I consider you pretty well out of the spasm which has lasted for so many days.”

“Sadie, I am really ashamed of you.”  This was Mrs. Ried’s grave, reproving voice; and she added, kindly:  “Ester, poor child, I wish you would wrap your face up in something warm and lie down awhile.  I am afraid you are suffering a great deal.”

Poor Ester!  It had been a hard day.  Late in the afternoon, as she stood at the table, and cut the bread, and cake, and cheese, and cold meat for tea; when the sun had made a rift in the clouds, and was peeping in for good-night; when the throbbing nerves had grown quiet once more, she looked back upon this weary day in shame and pain.  How very little her noble resolves, and efforts, and advances had been worth after all.  How far back she seemed to have gone in that one day—­not strength enough to bear even the little crosses that befell in an ordinarily quiet life!  How she had lost the so-lately-gained influence over Alfred and Julia by a few cross words!  How much reason she had given Sadie to think that her attempts at following the Master were, after all, only spasmodic and visionary!  But Ester had been to that little clothes-press up stairs in search of help and forgiveness, and now she clearly saw there was something to do besides mourn over her failures.  It was hard to do it, too.  Ester’s spirit was proud, and it was very humbling to confess herself in the wrong.  She hesitated and shrank from the work, until she finally grew ashamed of herself for that; and at last, without turning her head from her work, or giving her resolve time to falter, she called to the twins, who were occupying seats in one of the dining-room windows, and talking low and soberly to each other: