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Oh, please tell Him, Paula must not die!" "No, Lisita," Teresa said as she dried my tears; "We must leave Paula in God's hands. He loves her more than you and I could ever do. If you could see that poor broken body as I've seen it you would not ask that she should live! Yes, indeed, she was happy with us.
"Yes, Lisita, she was praying. And I am sure that the good God heard her, for she said to me after a long silence, Teresa, I believe my Saviour has taken me for His own I am a poor, guilty, and ungrateful sinner I have waited until the last moment, and I know my sins are great, but my Saviour's love is greater. But oh, my husband! and my children! I have done nothing to attract them to God.
"Where's Paula?" I cried, for I remembered at once that terrible scene in the Rue Darnetal. "Paula is in her room," said Catalina, turning her head to hide the tears that would come in spite of all her efforts. I tried to rise and go to our room. "Stay where you are, Lisita!" said Catalina. "You may go a bit later when you're feeling stronger." But now a terrible suspicion crossed my mind.
And besides, when you, my fine grandson, are scintillating in the world of letters and Rosa is director of the great normal school, perhaps Lisita may be occupying a comfortable post right here in this great house." I didn't understand the full import of these remarks, but I noticed it had the effect of silencing my tormentor who slunk away abashed.
So it was that the teacher tired the pupil and the pupil tired the teacher. Catalina was the first to complain. "Paula doesn't care much for study," she said to her father. "I'm afraid I am wasting my time trying to teach her." "Well, then," said my father, "perhaps the best thing will be to send her along to school with Lisita." Catalina hesitated a moment.
"Tell us, Lisita," Santiago said, when he thought we were well out of ear-shot of our elders, "you certainly do love to ride in the seat behind, do you not?" and he pulled my hair with the remark, "Better let somebody else sit there, hereafter." But grandmother overheard him and she said, "Go a little slower, my fine fellow. Lisita might have a more brilliant future than you think.
Then, seeing that Paula viewed her a bit strangely, she added, "I am only old Teresa. It was I who brought up your dear mother, and I thought I would have to do the same with you; but it looks to me as if you wouldn't need very much of my care. You are so large and healthy, much bigger than Lisita here, and yet you probably are no older. How old are you, pray?" "I am ten years old, madame."
"Why didn't she tell me that?" said Teresa. "I'd have sent Louis, but I didn't think of it at the time" I opened my mouth to say something, and then I shut it again. I had begun slowly to learn from Paula's example not to be a "tattle-tale." Meanwhile the sky grew darker. Suddenly Teresa said, "I don't know what's keeping Paula, Here, Lisita! Take this umbrella and go and meet her.
The storm had stopped in the late afternoon, and now the moon shone in all its splendor, touching the snow with silver and making millions of its crystals sparkle like diamonds in the moonlight. "How white and pure and beautiful everything is!" said Paula. "Do you remember, Lisita, how only yesterday we remarked how squalid and dirty the whole village looked? And now, what a lovely change!"
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine ... it was the great clock of Darnetal that recalled us to the present. "Nine o'clock!" exclaimed Teresa, "how the time has passed! Lisita! Off to bed!" "Please, Teresa, let me stay a few minutes more; it's lovely here by the open window." "Yes, it won't be so lovely tomorrow morning when you must rise early to be in class on time.
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