“Thank you, Mrs. Forbes. You are so kind; but you won't have to,”
replied the child earnestly. “Would you please draw up the curtains
and put Anna Belle's clothes on the bed? Perhaps I'll dress her after a
while. It doesn't seem fair to make her stay in bed when it wasn't her
error.”
“I don't think you'd better keep your arms out,” returned Mrs. Forbes
decidedly. “I'll put up the curtains, but when you come to try to do
anything you'll find you are very weak. You can ring the bell when you
want to, you know. And don't take your medicine again for an hour after
eating. I'd take another nap right away if I was you.”
When she had gone out, Jewel shook her head at the doll, whose face was
smiling toward her own. “You denied it, didn't you, dearie, the minute
she said it,” she whispered. “Error is using Mrs. Forbes to hold me
under mortal mind laws, but it can't be so, because God doesn't want it,
and I'm not afraid any more.”
Jewel put her hand under her pillow and drew out the two slips of paper
that bore her mother's messages. These she read through several times.
“Of course there are more, Anna Belle. I shouldn't wonder if there was
one in every pocket, but I don't mean to hunt. Divine love will send
them to me just when I need them, the way He did these. I'm sorry I
can't dress you, dearie, because you've just reflected love all the
time, and ought not to be in bed at all; but I must obey, you know, so
there won't be discord. I'd love to just hop up and get your clothes,
but you'll forgive me for not, I know.”
Again Jewel put her hand under her pillow and drew forth her copy of
“Science and Health.” “I'll read to you a little, dearie.” She opened
the book to page 393 and read, “Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist
all that is unlike God.” Jewel paused and thought for a minute. “You
might think, Anna Belle, that that meant rise against Mrs. Forbes, but
it doesn't. It means rise against all error, and one error is believing
that Mrs. Forbes is cross or afraid.” She went on reading for several
minutes, passing glibly over familiar phrases and sticking at or
skipping words which presented difficulties.
While she was thus employed Eloise again stole quietly to her cousin's
door, and hearing the soft voice she grew pale. Her mother had exacted
a promise from her that she would not enter the room until Dr. Ballard
consented, so after a minute's hesitation she fled downstairs and found
Mrs. Forbes.
“I think the little girl must be worse! She is talking to herself
incessantly.”
Mrs. Forbes regarded the pale face coldly. “I guess there's some
mistake. She was better when I saw her half an hour ago. I'll go up in a
minute.”
The minute stretched to five; Jewel had slept scarcely at all the night
before, and by the time the housekeeper had laboriously reached her
door, her voice had grown fainter, then stopped, and she was sound
asleep.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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