It was still quite early when Evelina drew back the curtains in the oriel window and let in the rosy morning light.  
A few moments before, Violet had startled her by a cry of joy, so keen and unmistakable that she had hurried from the inner room in her white muslin dress to the child's bedside, only to find her face pressed in against the pillow, around which her arms were tightly pressed.
 
"What is it? why didst thou call so?" she cried curiously as she stooped over the bed.
 
"O Evelina, the angels were singing to me!" said Violet, lifting up a face still wreathed in the happiest smiles. "Didst thou not hear them, Evelina? I knew the very words they said. And father, dear father, he was there with them in the meadow beside the hill; and he stretched out his hands to me and cried out so loud, 'To meet again,' that I screamed out with joy."
 
[Pg 260]
 
"Ah, that was indeed a lovely dream," said Evelina, stooping over the bed and kissing the little face still lighted up with the straggling beams of heavenly glory. "Go to sleep, dearest one, and perhaps thou mayest dream of the angels again."
 
"And dost thou know, Evelina, in that meadow beside the hill, where the flowers grow, my feet never touch the ground—never."
 
"Hush, little heart! go to sleep," she replied softly.
 
"And thou, Evelina, wilt thou not be an angel too? for thou art dressed in white, and thou art so lovely and so kind," said the little voice from among its pillows.
 
Evelina made no answer; her cheeks burned with a vivid red, and her heart gave loud throbs as she bent over the child and kissed her again passionately; then she turned and went back into the room. But her eyes were full of tears, and for many minutes afterwards she was restless and miserable, until at length she took off the white dress and laid it aside on the top of her trunk; and the hat with the blue forget-me-nots she hastily covered over with a handkerchief, and hid it away in the press.
 
"What is the boy doing up there?" she said suddenly as she looked up at the red tiles of the house[Pg 261] opposite. "Why, he is saying his prayers on the roof! Was ever anything so funny?"
 
When Violet did awake later on, she seemed to have forgotten all about her dream; she sighed heavily, and there were bright red spots on her cheeks. She watched all Evelina's movements with a kind of dull curiosity, but for a long time she made no effort to speak. At last she said, with a weak and somewhat complaining voice, "Evelina, why art thou making the room ready so early? That brush knocks so loudly against the chairs, and Violet's head is aching."
 
"I am up early because the whole town is up early," replied Evelina somewhat shortly; "and a room cannot be cleaned properly without brushing it."
 
"And why is the whole town up early—why, Evelina?"
 
"Why? of course thou knowest that this is the day of the grand procession, and one cannot be both inside of the house doing one's work and outside of it at the same time enjoying oneself."
 
"And art thou going out to see the angels?" asked Violet, fixing her eyes sorrowfully on the face of Evelina.
 
"That depends—I am not certain."
 
"But thou wouldst like it, wouldst thou not?"
 
"Yes, yes, of course."
 
[Pg 262]
 
"And will it be a long way off, down a far, far street?"
 
"No, no, quite close. They are to turn off at the fountain and go up by the cathedral."
 
"Then Violet will perhaps hear them singing," cried the child, raising herself on her elbow, and flushing all over a lovely carmine colour. "I have often heard the women singing at the fountain in the evening."
 
"Yes, I daresay."
 
"Ah, how Violet would love to stand, like other little children in the street, and see the beautiful angels with their wings." A deep, longing sigh followed this remark.
 
Evelina made no reply, and Violet still followed her movements wistfully with her eyes, till at last they fell upon the little carriage, which she was at this moment dusting, and which she presently pushed somewhat further back into the corner.
 
"Just as far as the fountain," pleaded Violet with quivering lips.
 
"No, no, it is impossible; for the greatest crowd of all will be just there. They are all to gather at the fountain, which is to be decked out with flowers; and the first chorus is to be sung beside it. To drag a carriage through such a multitude of people would be out of the question."
 
[Pg 263]
 
"But in thine arms, Evelina; couldst thou not take me such a little way in thine arms?"
 
"In my arms, dear love? who ever heard of such a thing?"
 
"Yes, yes, only to the fountain, to see the angels and to hear them sing."
 
"Thou askest me that which thou knowest well I cannot do," replied Evelina almost angrily. "The doctor would not hear of my taking thee out of thy bed to carry thee in my arms among such a lot of people. And besides, thou wouldst not like it thyself: other children would stare at thee, and say things, perhaps, which would hurt thee."
 
"What would they say, Evelina?"
 
"Ah, cruel things: children do not stop to pick their words."
 
"But what would they say?" pleaded Violet, her eyes opening wide and her cheeks flushing.
 
"They would, perhaps, point their fingers at thee and call thee names. Ah, I have heard such things often in the street. There are wicked children as well as good. I have seen them even throwing stones after little sick children."
 
"Yes," cried Violet, sitting up straight, and her eyes deepening to the purple shade which always came with some great mental excitement; "and thou[Pg 264] rememberest, Evelina, how one wicked boy threw a great heavy stone at a poor hunchback; and how God was watching, and when they would have thrown another the Lord Jesus laid his hand on the hunchback's shoulders, and out of them came two beautiful shining wings, and he flew straight up to heaven. Thou rememberest all this, Evelina?"
 
"Oh yes, I daresay," replied Evelina, who was down on her knees polishing the stove.
 
"But thou didst tell that very story to............