into a thing. She had a strong instinctive feeling that she was in the
world to do something, and she saw that if nobody tried to keep things
right, they would go terribly wrong: what then could she be there for
but to set or keep things right! and if she could do nothing with the
big things, she must be the busier with the little things! Besides, who
could tell how much the little might have to do with the big things! The
whole machine depended on every tiny wheel! She could not order the
clouds, but she could keep some weeds from growing, and then when the
rain came, they would not take away the good of it!

The world might be divided into those who let things go, and those who
do not; into the forces and facts, the slaves and fancies; those who are
always doing something on God's creative lines, and those that are
always grumbling and striving against them.

"Another penny for your thought, Walter!" said Molly.

"I am not going to deal with you. This time you would not think it worth
a penny! Why are you so inquisitive about my thoughts?"

"I want to know what you meant when you said the other day that thoughts
were better than things."

Walter hesitated. The question was an inclined plane leading to unknown
depths of argument!

"See, Walter," said Molly, "here is a _narcissus_--a pheasant's eye:
tell me the thought that is better than this thing!"

How troublesome girls were when they asked questions!