When her father died Miss Katherine wouldn’t live with either of her brothers, or any of her relations, but went to Baltimore to study to be a nurse.  After she graduated she didn’t come back for three or four years, and she hadn’t been back six months when I was taken sick.  And now I sing: 

    “Praise God from whom that sickness flew.”

Sing it inside almost all the time.

Miss Katherine don’t have to be a nurse.  She has a little money.  I don’t know how much, she never mentioning money before me; but she has some, for I heard Miss Bray and Mrs. Blamire talking one night when they thought I was asleep; and for once I didn’t interrupt or let them know I was awake.

I had been punished so often for speaking when I shouldn’t that this time I kept quiet, and when they were through I couldn’t sleep.  I was so excited I stayed awake all night.  And from joy—­pure joy.

I had only been back from the hospital a week, and was in the room next to Mrs. Blamire’s, where the children who are sick stay, when I heard Miss Bray talking to Mrs. Blamire, and at something she said I sat up in bed.  Right or wrong, I tried to hear.  I did.

They were sitting in front of the fire, and Miss Bray leaned over and cracked the coals.

“Have you heard that Miss Katherine Trent is coming here as a trained nurse?” she said, and she put down the poker, and, folding her arms, began to rock.

“You don’t mean it!” said Mrs. Blamire, and her little voice just cackled.  “Coming here?  To this place?  I do declare!” And she drew her chair up closer, being a little deaf.

“That’s what she’s going to do.”  Miss Bray took off her spectacles.  “The Board can’t afford to pay her a salary, but she’s offered to come without one, and next week she’ll start in.”

“Katherine Trent always was queer,” she went on, still rocking with all her might.  “She can get big prices as a nurse, though she doesn’t have to nurse at all, having money enough to live on without working.  And why she wants to come to a place like this and fool with fifty-odd children and get no pay for it is beyond my understanding.  It’s her business, however, not mine, and I’m glad she’s coming.”

“I do declare!” And Mrs. Blamire clapped her hands like she was getting religion.  “My, but I’m glad!  Miss Katherine Trent coming here!  And next week, you say?  I do declare!” And her gladness sounded in her voice.  It was a different kind from Miss Bray’s.  Even in the dark I could tell, for hers was thankfulness for the children.  Miss Bray was glad for herself.

That was almost a year ago, and now my hair has come out and curls worse than ever.  It’s very thick, and it’s brown—­light brown.

I’m always intending to stand still in front of the glass long enough to see what I do look like, but I’m always in such a hurry I don’t have time.  I know my eyes are blue, for Miss Katherine said this morning they got bigger and bluer every day, and if I didn’t eat more I’d be nothing but eyes.  If you don’t like a thing, can you eat it?  You cannot.  That is, in summer you can’t.  In winter it’s a little easier.