"I can't leave sister all night, madam. But I can take your dress
home with me, and by sitting up late, I can easily finish it. You
will have no objection to my doing this, I hope?"
Mrs. Condy paused a moment, for she did feel an objection to this
being done; but humanity prevailed, and she consented. This relieved
Ellen's mind very greatly, and she bundled up the dress, and hurried
away with it. Margaret appeared more feeble than she was in the
morning; and her cough was very troublesome. It was nearly twelve
o'clock when the last stitch was taken in Mrs. Condy's dress. And
then Ellen retired to her bed. But it was a long time before she
could sleep. The nervous excitement, induced by protracted labour
and great anxiety of mind, drove slumber from her eyelids for many
hours. Towards morning she fell into a troubled sleep, and awoke at
daylight unrefreshed.
This day was Friday, and Jane's dress came next in turn. Ellen
applied herself with even greater assiduity than she had used on the
preceding day; but, as Jane's dress required more trimming, and less
assistance was given her on it, the progress she made towards its
completion was in no way promising. After dinner her head began to
ache, and continued its throbbing, almost blinding pain, until the
evening twilight began to fall, and the darkness compelled her to
suspend her work.
"Why, Ellen, Jane's dress isn't nigh done," said Mary, in tones of
surprise, on coming into the room, at the moment Ellen laid the
garment aside.
"No, but I'll finish it to-night," replied Ellen.
"Why, it'll take you pretty much all night to finish this," she
said, lifting and examining her sister's dress. "How in the world
did you get so behindhand, Ellen?"
"This is a harder dress to make than your mother's," replied Ellen;
"and besides having had less help on it, my head has ached very
badly all the afternoon."