Laurie, meanwhile, posted off to comfort Amy, and told his
story so well that Aunt March actually "sniffed" herself, and
never once said, "I told you so". Amy came out so strong on
this occasion that I think the good thoughts in the little chapel
really began to bear fruit. She dried her tears quickly, calmly
restrained her impatience to see her mother, and never even
thought of the turquoise ring, when the old lady heartily agreed
in Laurie's opinion, that she behaved "like a capital little
woman." Even Polly seemed impressed, for he called her
"good girl", blessed her buttons, and begged her to "come and
take a walk, dear," in his most affable tone. She would very
gladly have gone out to enjoy the bright wintry weather; but,
discovering that Laurie was dropping with sleep in spite of
manful efforts to conceal the fact, she persuaded him to rest on
the sofa, while she wrote a note to her mother. She was a
long time about it; and, when she returned, he was stretched out,
with both arms under his head, sound asleep, while Aunt March
had pulled down the curtains, and sat doing nothing in an un-
usual fit of benignity.

After a while, they began to think he was not going to wake
till night, and I'm not sure that he would, had he not been
effectually roused by Amy's cry of joy at sight of her mother.
There probably were a good many happy little girls in and about
the city that day, but it is my private opinion that Amy was the
happiest of all, when she sat in her mother's lap and told her
trials, receiving consolation and compensation in the shape of
approving smiles and fond caresses. They were alone together
in the chapel, to which her mother did not object when its pur-
pose was explained to her.

"On the contrary, I like it very much, dear," looking from
the dusty rosary to the well-worn little book, and the lovely
picture with its garland of evergreen. "It is an excellent plan
to have some place where we can go to be quiet, when things
vex or grieve us. There are a good many hard times in this
life of ours, but we can always bear them if we ask help in
the right way. I think my little girl is learning this?"

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