Then I felt my way to the door, but, to my horror, found the man lying
across it on the floor, so that I could not open it. Then I believe I
cried for the first time. I was nearly frozen to death, and there was all
the long night to bear yet. How I got through it, I cannot tell. It did go
away. Perhaps God destroyed some of it for me. But when the light began to
come through the window, and show me all the filth of the place, the man
and the woman lying on the floor, the woman with her head cut and covered
with blood, I began to feel that the darkness had been my friend. I felt
this yet more when I saw the state of my own dress, which I had forgotten
in the dark. I felt as if I had done some shameful thing, and wanted to
follow the darkness, and hide in the skirts of it. It was an old gown of
some woollen stuff, but it was impossible to tell what, it was so dirty
and worn. I was ashamed that even those drunken creatures should wake and
see me in it. But the light would come, and it came and came, until at
last it waked them up, and the first words were so dreadful! They
quarrelled and swore at each other and at me, until I almost thought there
couldn't be a God who would let that go on so, and never stop it. But I
suppose He wants them to stop, and doesn't care to stop it Himself, for He
could easily do that of course, if He liked.'

"'Just right, my darling!' said Uncle Peter with emotion.

"Chrissy saw that my uncle was too much excited by her story although he
tried not to show it, and with a wisdom which I have since learned to
appreciate, cut it short.

"'They did not treat me cruelly, though, the worst was, that they gave me
next to nothing to eat. Perhaps they wanted to make me thin and wretched
looking, and I believe they succeeded.--Charlie, you'll turn over the
cream, if you don't sit still.--Three days passed this way. I have thought