All were against
her; and Daisy's hand, went up again and again. "It is good I am weak
and not very well," she thought; "as soon as I grow strong mamma will
not let me do this any more. I must do all I can now."
So she came to the cripple's gate; and by that time the tears were all
gone.
Nobody was in the little courtyard; Daisy went in first to see how the
rose looked. It was all safe and doing well. While she stood there
before it, the cottage door opened and the poor inmate came out. She
crawled down the walk on hands and knees till she got near Daisy, and
then sat back to look at her.
"What do you want?" she said, in a most uninviting and ungracious tone
of voice.
"I came to see you," said Daisy, venturing to let her eyes rest for the
first time on those poor, restless, unloving eyes opposite her--"and I
wanted to see the rose, and I have brought you another flower--if you
will let me bring it in."
Her words were sweet as honey. The woman looked at her, and answered
again with the unintelligible grunt, of unbelieving wonder, which Daisy
had heard once before. Daisy thought on the whole the safest way was not
to talk but to fetch her beautiful "Jewess" flowers to speak for
themselves. So she ran off and brought the pot and set it on the ground
before Molly. It was a great attraction; Daisy could see that at once.
The cripple sat back gazing at it. Daisy prudently waited till her eyes
came round again from the flowers and rested on her little visiter's
face.
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