But presently the silence of the other who was present crept into her consciousness; and she lifted her head to look around. Mrs. Cragg sat apart, grey and wordless. All the self-assertion was for once washed-out of her. She had no excuse to offer, no self-defence to put forward. That abashed face was new to Pattie. She could not see in it the Mrs. Cragg whom she had hitherto known. "Is ma-ma angly?" asked Dot's little voice. "No, Dot. I think ma-ma is sorry," replied Pattie's trembling tones. Mrs. Cragg neither moved nor looked round. "I'm sorry to have had to be so rough," at length faltered Pattie, her chest heaving still. "I couldn't help it, you know. There was no time. If I had not made haste—" Then a new fear swept across her. "Did Dot take any? Mrs. Cragg, are you sure?—did she drink any of that stuff?" "No," was the answer; "not one drop." "If she had—" The girl shuddered; then, standing up, she went nearer to Mrs. Cragg. "You didn't know, of course. You didn't think what you were doing. I suppose you fancied it was her medicine." "Dot pointed to the mantelshelf. I asked her." "No. That stood there. It oughtn't to have been. But we kept the medicine in the cupboard. That is only meant for—" Pattie broke down afresh. "It ought not to have been left anywhere within reach," she went on presently. "But, oh, if I had not been in time—" "If Mrs. Smithers hadn't been to see me, she'd have had it all ever so long ago," muttered Mrs. Cragg. "And if you hadn't come back just when you did—" Mrs. Cragg spoke in a strange, husky voice, and before Pattie could answer she asked abruptly: "If Dot had drunk that, would she have died?" Pattie whispered a "Yes." Mrs. Cragg's shoulders shook, and Pattie's hand came on her kindly. "I don't know, I'm sure, whatever makes you so nice to me," faltered Mrs. Cragg. "You've behaved uncommon well, I must say. And I've treated you bad, I know that. I don't know whatever made me. But I shan't forget this. I shan't ever forget it." Mrs. Cragg began to choke and gulp. Dot seemed inclined to go to sleep after the morning's agitations. "Don't keep her awake," whispered Pattie; and Mrs. Cragg did her best to cry in subdued tones—not an easy matter, since self-command was not one of her virtues. By the time Dot was soundly off, Mrs. Cragg spoke again: "Pattie, you don't know what I've been and done! I've told Mrs. Smithers all about you." "Yes; I know you have." "I mean—about your father. I felt cross, and so I said it out. If you'd known that, you wouldn't, perhaps, have—" "Not have tried to save dear little Dot!" Pattie spoke in amazed accents. "You can't think so, surely! I would do anything for Dot. Mrs. Smithers told me when I was out. She did not say that she had heard it from you, but of course—" Pattie stopped.