Mrs. Stein now brought the bag which Elsli had left behind, which she had filled with clothing for Marget’s children.

“Do try to remember about Elsli,” she said.  “I will do all I can to help you, if you will only spare the child as much as you can.”

“Well, as much as I can, yes,” said the woman.  “But you must understand that I have my work to do, and the boys must be kept from under my feet while I am at work, and there’s no one but Elsli to see to them.  We are all well now; and yet I have to use both hands to keep things going, and feed all these mouths every day.  How can I make things easier?  If sickness comes, it will be time enough then to change our ways.  It comes hardest on me, after all.  No one knows what poverty is but those that have been through it; but I can’t help thinking sometimes that the Lord God loves some of his children better than he does others.”

“Try not to think that, Marget,” said the doctor’s wife in her kindest tones, for the hard lot of the poor was a sad trial to her tender heart.  “There are many sufferings besides poverty, and some which are much harder to bear.  Our Father in heaven knows why he sends them to us.  Still, I know how hard poverty is, and it is a great grief to me that I cannot help the poor as I should like to.”

Marget took up the bag and went away.  Mrs. Stein went back into the sitting-room with a heavy heart; for she was fully convinced that Elsli’s fate was to succumb under the heavy load that poverty pressed down upon her delicate frame; and, sighing deeply, she sat down by her sister’s side, intending to lay the case before her, and see what impression Marget’s words would make upon her; for aunty had always a cheerful word to say and she took a bright view of possibilities.  But, before Emma could get through her confidences and give her mother a chance to speak, Kathri put her head into the room with:—­

“Here’s another woman wants you; will you come out into the kitchen again?”

“Another? who is it now?” asked her mistress in a weary tone.

“Oh, as if I could pronounce or remember such an outlandish name!”

“It can’t be Mrs. Stanhope that you’ve left standing out in the kitchen!” asked aunty, anxiously.

“Yes, that’s it,” said Kathri, adding impatiently:  “If she’d only call herself hop-stand or hop-pole or something sensible, I could remember it; but to twist it upside down so, it’s just nonsense.”

However, Kathri thought she should never make a mistake in that name again; for the picture of a hop-pole standing upside down would always come up when she thought of it.

Mrs. Stein hastened out and asked her visitor to come into the parlor.  Mrs. Stanhope had come to inquire if it would be possible to find a child to come between school-hours, twice a day, to do errands and small household chores, such as the maid-servant could not find time for.

In a moment Elsli’s pale face came up before Mrs. Stein’s mind’s eye, and she thought how much better off the girl would be going on errands for Mrs. Stanhope than carrying her big little brother about in her arms.  And she thought that if Marget could be sure of a little ready money every day, she would manage to let Elsli go.