One Moment in Time

One Moment in Time
precious time
Red Hat Girl
Red Nude painting
¡¡¡¡All day she lay so, only rousing now and then to mutter, `Water!' with lips so parched they could hardly shape the word; all day Jo and Meg hovered over her, watching, waiting, hoping, and trusting in God and Mother; and all day the snow fell, the bitter wind raged, and the hours dragged slowly by. But night came at last; and every time the clock struck, the sisters, still sitting on either side of the bed, looked at each other with brightening eyes, for each hour brought help nearer. The doctor had been in to say that some change, for better or worse, would probably take place about midnight, at which time he would return. ¡¡¡¡Hannah, quite worn out, lay down on the sofa at the bed's foot, and fell fast asleep; Mr. Laurence marched to and fro in the parlour, feeling that he would rather face a rebel battery than Mrs. March's anxious countenance as she entered; Laurie lay on the rug, pretending to rest, but staring into the fire with the thoughtful look which made his black eyes beautifully soft and clear. ¡¡¡¡The girls never forgot that night, for no sleep came to them, as they kept their watch with that dreadful sense of powerlessness which comes to us in hours like those. ¡¡¡¡`If God spares Beth I never will complain again,' whispered Meg, earnestly. ¡¡¡¡`If God spares Beth I'll try to love and serve him all my life,' answered Jo, with equal fervour. ¡¡¡¡`I wish I had no heart, it aches so,' sighed Meg, after a pause. ¡¡¡¡`If life is often as hard as this, I don't see how we ever shall get through it,' added her sister, despondently.