I feel about sixty , and do n't care for anything now I 've got here . Let me stay till I 'm on my legs , then I 'll clear out and never trouble you any more , ' said Dan despondently . ` You are weak and low in your mind ; that will pass , and by and by you will go to your missionary work among the Indians with all the old energy and the new patience , self-control , and knowledge you have gained . Tell me more about that good chaplain and Mary Mason and the lady whose chance word helped you so much . I want to know all about the trials of my poor boy . ' Won by her tender interest , Dan brightened up and talked on till he had poured out all the story of that bitter year , and felt better for the load he lifted off . If he had known how it weighed upon his hearer 's heart , he would have held his peace ; but she hid her sorrow till she had sent him to bed , comforted and calm ; then she cried her heart out , to the great dismay of Fritz and Laurie , till they heard the tale and could mourn with her ; after which they all cheered up and took counsel together how best to help this worst of all the ` catastrophes ' the year had brought them . Chapter 21 . ASLAUGA 'S KNIGHT It was curious to see the change which came over Dan after that talk . A weight seemed off his mind ; and though the old impetuous spirit flashed out at times , he seemed intent on trying to show his gratitude and love and honour to these true friends by a new humility and confidence very sweet to them , very helpful to him . After hearing the story from Mrs Jo , the Professor and Mr Laurie made no allusion to it beyond the hearty hand-grasp , the look of compassion , the brief word of good cheer in which men convey sympathy , and a redoubled kindness which left no doubt of pardon . Mr Laurie began at once to interest influential persons in Dan 's mission , and set in motion the machinery which needs so much oiling before anything can be done where Government is concerned . Mr Bhaer , with the skill of a true teacher , gave Dan 's hungry mind something to do , and helped him understand himself by carrying on the good chaplain 's task so paternally that the poor fellow often said he felt as if he had found a father . The boys took him to drive , and amused him with their pranks and plans ; while the women , old and young , nursed and petted him till he felt like a sultan with a crowd of devoted slaves , obedient to his lightest wish . A very little of this was enough for Dan , who had a masculine horror of ` molly-coddling ' , and so brief an acquaintance with illness that he rebelled against the doctor 's orders to keep quiet ; and it took all Mrs Jo 's authority and the girls ' ingenuity to keep him from leaving his sofa long before strained back and wounded head were well . Daisy cooked for him ; Nan attended to his medicines ; Josie read aloud to while away the long hours of inaction that hung so heavily on his hands ; while Bess brought all her pictures and casts to amuse him , and , at his special desire , set up a modelling-stand in his parlour and began to mould the buffalo head he gave her . Those afternoons seemed the pleasantest part of his day ; and Mrs Jo , busy in her study close by , could see the friendly trio and enjoy the pretty pictures they made . The girls were much flattered by the success of their efforts , and exerted themselves to be very entertaining , consulting Dan 's moods with the feminine tact most women creatures learn before they are out of pinafores . When he was gay , the room rang with laughter ; when gloomy , they read or worked in respectful silence till their sweet patience cheered him up again ; and when in pain they hovered over him like ' a couple of angels ' , as he said . He often called Josie ` little mother ' , but Bess was always ` Princess ' ; and his manner to the two cousins was quite different .
XXXXX sometimes fretted him with her fussy ways , the long plays she liked to read , and the maternal scoldings she administered when he broke the rules ; for having a lord of creation in her power was so delightful to her that she would have ruled him with a rod of iron if he had submitted .
Bess Dan Fritz Jo Josie Mason Nan Princess afternoons oiling