"I didn't ask her to do my work," said Belle, as she took the pitcher. "That's always the way," she said to herself; "now I came down-stairs feeling pleasant enough, and mother began scolding me because I hadn't set the table. There's no use trying. I wasn't to blame." Who _was_ to blame? After supper Belle sat down with a book she was busy reading. Just as she began, her father asked her to bring his slippers. "In a minute," she said, without looking up, while she went on reading. Nannie, seeing Belle so much interested, ran off and brought the slippers, and received a pleasant "Thank you!" from her father. Belle was not so much interested in her book as not to hear the "Thank you," and it again excited the angry feelings. "I was going in a minute," she said to herself. "Nannie needn't have been in such a hurry. I wasn't to blame." Who _was_ to blame? "I wish one of you would take Charlie to bed," said their mother, as she came in with her basket of mending. Here was a good opportunity to help her mother, and Belle put down her book with determination, and said, "I'll take him." "No," said Master Charlie, "I don't want Belle to put me to bed;--I want Nannie. You go, Nannie," he said, putting his little arms around her neck, and looking up beseechingly. So Nannie laid down her book and took Charlie to bed. Poor Belle! She held her book up to hide the tears that would come. "There's no use in trying," she thought. "It wasn't my fault if Charlie wouldn't let me." Whose fault was it? Dr. Merry had seen it all. He saw the struggle it had been for Belle to put away her book, and he saw the tears fill her eyes when Charlie refused; and now, as he got up to go to his surgery, he whispered to her, "Be strong and of a good courage. For the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee." "What could her father mean?" Belle kept thinking it over and over. "Be strong and of a good courage"--she knew well enough what the words meant, but why should her father say them to her. She wondered if he knew she was trying to do better, and was almost ready to give up. "Be strong and of a good courage,"--she said it again. "Of good courage, means not to be afraid, not to give up, to go on trying, no matter how hard it is. But I don't see the use in trying. It's always the same, everything goes wrong. I may as well give up at first as at last." There was a Bible lying by her on the table, and, almost without thinking, she took it up, and began turning over the leaves to find the words; she knew where they were, for she had seen them many times. She found the place, and read over again the words,-- "For the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." "I can't do right,--there's no use trying;" but while she said it, she was reading over again the last part, "He will not fail thee."