Chapter 16: Letters

⁠​​​‌​​​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​⁠In the cold gray dawn the sisters lit their lamp, and read their chapter with an earnestness never felt before; for now the shadow of a real trouble had come, the little books were full of help and comfort; and, as they dressed, they agreed to say good-by cheerfully and hopefully, and send their mother on her anxious journey unsaddened by tears or complaints from them. Everything seemed very stran