"Because when Jesus Christ hung on the cross, one of the robbers asked Him
to remember him when He came into His kingdom, and the Lord promised to do
so."

"Well, then," I murmured, "perhaps the Lord might hear me also."

Paula turned about and faced me. "But, my dear Lisita, you're not wicked."

"Most certainly I am," said I.

"No, no, you're not that bad, and if you wish to be my sister, you will
love the Lord Jesus, and you love Him now with all your heart; do you not,
Lisita! I don't like to hear you say that you're wicked, for you are a good
girl, and I love you dearly, Lisita!"

I? I? Good! I stared at my cousin. At any rate I knew that that very night,
for the first time in my life, I was going to pray to the good Lord before
I slept. Teresa had come in to say good-night and put out the light. I
hadn't the courage to get up and kneel beside the bed as Paula did, but I
joined my hands in prayer and closed my eyes as she had done, and with my
head buried in the pillow, I murmured, "Oh, my God, I've never asked
anything of You, and I wouldn't have dared to have said a word to You
tonight if Paula had not said that You heard the prayers even of wicked
penitent ones like me. My God, I ask You to heal my sister Catalina, and I
ask it with all my heart I haven't been very good to her, and I'm very
sorry, and I'm going to be better from now on. My God, please let her live,
and if she gets well, I promise You now to do all my lessons faithfully for
a whole week. And so I thank you ahead of time, Amen."