suffering came from its being necessary that she should keep nearly one
position on her back, because of her spine, while the external bruise and
the swelling of the muscles were in consequence so painful, that it needed
all that mechanical contrivance could do to render the position endurable.
But these outward conditions were greatly ameliorated before many days were
over.

This is a dreary beginning of my story, is it not? But sickness of all
kinds is such a common thing in the world, that it is well sometimes to
let our minds rest upon it, lest it should take us altogether at unawares,
either in ourselves or our friends, when it comes. If it were not a good
thing in the end, surely it would not be; and perhaps before I have done my
readers will not be sorry that my tale began so gloomily. The sickness in
Judaea eighteen hundred and thirty-five years ago, or thereabouts, has no
small part in the story of him who came to put all things under our feet.
Praise be to him for evermore!

It soon became evident to me that that room was like a new and more sacred
heart to the house. At first it radiated gloom to the remotest corners; but
soon rays of light began to appear mingling with the gloom. I could see
that bits of news were carried from it to the servants in the kitchen, in
the garden, in the stable, and over the way to the home-farm. Even in the
village, and everywhere over the parish, I was received more kindly, and
listened to more willingly, because of the trouble I and my family were in;
while in the house, although we had never been anything else than a loving
family, it was easy to discover that we all drew more closely together in
consequence of our common anxiety. Previous to this, it had been no unusual
thing to see Wynnie and Dora impatient with each other; for Dora was
none the less a wild, somewhat lawless child, that she was a profoundly
affectionate one. She rather resembled her cousin Judy, in fact--whom