"I am really hungry, and I know these young
people must be, they run about so."
"I am," declared Joel, in great satisfaction at hearing the tray mentioned,
and bobbing his black hair, "awfully hungry."
"Oh, Joel!" said Polly.
"If you knew, Polly," said Mrs. Sterling, with a laugh, "what a pleasure it
is to me, to hear a hungry boy say so up here, you would be very glad to
let him. You can't think"--looking around on the three--"what good you are
doing me. Really your work as a comfort committee has begun already."
XXII
RACHEL'S VISIT TO MISS PARROTT
Rachel ran blindly up the garret stairs of the parsonage and threw herself
down on the top, her blue, checked apron over her head.
"Oh, I can't--I can't," she screamed.
"Rachel," the minister's wife called gently after her. But Rachel stormed
on, "Oh, I can't; dear me, I can't!"
So Mrs. Henderson mounted the stairs and sat down on the top one, and took
Rachel's hands, nervously beating together.
"My child, you must listen to me."
It was said very quietly; but Rachel knew by this time what the parsonage
people meant when they said a thing, so she answered meekly in a muffled
voice because of the apron over her head:
"Yes'm."
"Take down your apron," said Mrs. Henderson.
Down fell the apron, disclosing a face of so much distress, that for a
moment the heart of the parson's wife failed her, but it must be done,
"My child," she began very gently, "it is best that you should go to see
Miss Parrott.
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