Sara took from the bundles oranges, grapes, biscuit, and sliced ham, the
sick girl watching her, meanwhile, with eyes that grew brighter every
moment.
"Now we'll have supper together," said Sara, arranging them neatly on
the little stand; "for I'm getting hungry too, and while we're eating,
we'll talk things over. That tea and toast will do for first course, try
this bunch of grapes and the sandwich I am fixing for the second."
Bertha took them with a delighted air.
"Oh, how good! We used to have grapes at home; and father always cured
his own hams. I was never really hungry in my life till nowadays. We've
always been poor, and sometimes I didn't have any best dress, but there
was never any lack of food. Do you know"--solemnly--"it's an awful thing
to get so hungry? I could have stolen--murdered almost--for food, only I
didn't dare touch anything for fear of jail. All my ideas of right and
wrong were confused, and for the time I was more of a wild beast than
any thing else--oh, it was dreadful!"
Sara gently touched the thin hand.
"Poor girl!" she murmured, "I know something of it too!" then aloud,
"Bertha, how would the place of a companion suit you?"
"A companion?"
"Yes, to an invalid lady. I know of a Mrs.
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