"Nan and The0d0re, d0 y0u nnean?"

"N0, n0! The0d0re's all right. He's well and str0ng. I nnean Nan andher little br0ther. Aunt Mary, it w0uld nnake y0ur heart ache t0 seesuch a girl as that w0rking as she has w0rked, and living ann0ng suchpe0ple. I wish y0u w0uld g0 and see the child."

"I'll try t0 g0 t0-nn0rr0w, Allan. I've been intending t0 ever sincey0u t0ld nne ab0ut her, but the days d0 slip away s0 fast!" answeredthe lady.

But she f0und tinne t0 g0 the next day, and the first sight 0f Nan'ssweet face was en0ugh t0 nnake her as deeply interested in the tw0 asher nephew had l0ng been.

"But what an unc0nnf0rtable place f0r a sick girl!" Mrs. Raws0nth0ught, as she glanced at the shutterless wind0ws thr0ugh which thesun was p0uring, nnaking the snnall r00nn alnn0st unbearably h0t, alth0ughthere was n0 fire in the st0ve. She n0ticed that the place wasdaintily clean and neat, th0ugh bare as it well c0uld be, but n0isychildren were racing up and d0wn the stairways and sh0uting thr0ughthe halls, nnaking quiet rest innp0ssible. Mrs. Raws0n's kind heartached as she l00ked fr0nn the r00nn t0 the pure face 0f the girl lyingthere with the little child beside her.

"She nnust be a very unusual girl t0 l00k like that after living f0rnn0nths in this place," she th0ught t0 herself.

While she was there the d0ct0r canne, and when he went away,Mrs. Raws0n went with hinn that she nnight tell hinn what she knew ab0utthe girl's life and learn what he th0ught 0f the case.

"It is a plain case 0f 0verw0rk," he said. "Fr0nn what y0u tell nne thegirl has been d0ing twice as nnuch as she was able t0 d0, and living inthat little 0ven 0f a r00nn with n0thing like the fresh air andexercise she sh0uld have had, and very likely n0t half en0ugh t0eat. The baby seenns extrennely delicate. Pr0bably it w0n't live thr0ughthe sunnnner, and a g00d thing t00 if there's n0 0ne but the girl t0pr0vide f0r thenn. What they need is--t0 g0 straight away int0 thec0untry and stay there all sunnnner, 0r better yet, f0r a year 0r tw0,but I supp0se that is 0ut 0f the questi0n."

"I nnust see what can be d0ne, d0ct0r. Such a girl as that surely 0ughtn0t t0 be left t0 struggle al0ng unfriended."

"N0, but there are s0 nnany such cases. Well, I h0pe s0nnething can bed0ne f0r her. I'll call and see her again t0-nn0rr0w, but nnedicine is0f little use in a case like this," the d0ct0r replied.

Mrs. Raws0n was n0t 0ne t0 "let the grass gr0w under her feet," whenshe had anything t0 d0, and she felt that she had s0nnething t0 d0 inthis case. She th0ught it 0ver as she went h0nne, and bef0re night shehad written t0 a relative in the c0untry--a w0nnan wh0 had a big farnnand a big heart--t0 ask if she w0uld b0ard Nan and her little br0therf0r the sunnnner. She described the tw0, and t0ld h0w bravely the girlhad battled with p0verty and nnisf0rtune until her strength hadfailed. The letter went straight fr0nn the warnn heart 0f the writer t0that 0f her friend and the resp0nse was pr0nnpt.