boy; and, Katy, keep away from me when I come back, and keep the others
away, till I have changed my coat."

It is odd how soon and how easily human beings accustom themselves to a
new condition of things. When sudden illness comes, or sudden sorrow, or
a house is burned up, or blown down by a tornado, there are a few hours
or days of confusion and bewilderment, and then people gather up their
wits and their courage and set to work to repair damages. They clear
away ruins, plant, rebuild, very much as ants whose hill has been
trodden upon, after running wildly about for a little while, begin all
together to reconstruct the tiny cone of sand which is so important in
their eyes. In a very short time the changes which at first seem so sad
and strange become accustomed and matter-of-course things which no
longer surprise us.

It seemed to the Carrs after a few days as if they had always had Amy in
the house with them. Papa's daily visit to the sick-room, their
avoidance of him till after he had "changed his coat," Amy's lessons and
games of play, her dressing and undressing, the walks with the
make-believe mamma, the dropping of notes into the little basket, seemed
part of a system of things which had been going on for a long, long
time, and which everybody would miss should they suddenly stop.

But they by no means suddenly stopped. Little Walter Ashe's case proved
to be rather a severe one; and after he had begun to mend, he caught
cold somehow and was taken worse again. There were some serious
symptoms, and for a few days Dr. Carr did not feel sure how things would
turn. He did not speak of his anxiety at home, but kept silence and a
cheerful face, as doctors know how to do. Only Katy, who was more
intimate with her father than the rest, guessed that things were going