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She looked up tiredly at Audrey as she entered “Audrey, come sit beside me”

Audrey did as her lanced at her mother and then looked away She had dark circles under her eyes, her dark brown hair was threaded with grey, and the lines on her face appeared to have deepened

When she looked down at her father, her heart thudded inside her chest He looked pale and gaunt The skin stretched over his facial bones, and on the table next to his bed, she saw several wadded-up handkerchiefs dotted red with blood

“Mother, what did the doctor say?” Audrey asked

That e to look in on her father Audrey was anxious to knohat had been said She had been in her roo letters to their mutual family friends who had asked after her father Her mother spent much of her time with her father, so Audrey had taken up the task of correspondence on behalf of the family Before his illness, her father, Ezra, had been the local parish priest

“He said all is well,” her mother said “Your father has been ill, but he will recover We must all pray ‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be disthen you and help you; I will uphold you with ht hand,’” she quoted the scripture from Isiah

“I aood news And of course, I will pray” She looked down at her father “How long will it be before he recovers?”

Her uide us”

“I’?” Audrey asked Augusta was looking down at her husband and did not respond “I won’t be long,” she told her “The rain has subsided so—“

“Yes, yes,” Augusta said dismissively “Wear your coat and take an uain”

Audrey stood up and went to the door She turned back and saw herover her father “You see? I told you, Ezra All will be h”

Audrey closed the door behind her and almost ran headfirst into her little sister, Franc

es She was only eight years old and worshipped Audrey Frances had curly auburn hair with round brown eyes