She could not think it right to deceive her mother , but she had been bidden to mind Hannah , and Hannah would n't hear of ` Mrs. March bein ' told , and worried just for sech a trifle . ' Jo devoted herself to Beth day and night , not a hard task , for Beth was very patient , and bore her pain uncomplainingly as long as she could control herself . But there came a time when during the fever fits she began to talk in a hoarse , broken voice , to play on the coverlet as if on her beloved little piano , and try to sing with a throat so swollen that there was no music left , a time when she did not know the familiar faces around her , but addressed them by wrong names , and called imploringly for her mother . Then Jo grew frightened , Meg begged to be allowed to write the truth , and even Hannah said she ` would think of it , though there was no danger yet ' . A letter from Washington added to their trouble , for Mr. March had had a relapse , and could not think of coming home for a long while . How dark the days seemed now , how sad and lonely the house , and how heavy were the hearts of the sisters as they worked and waited , while the shadow of death hovered over the once happy home . Then it was that Margaret , sitting alone with tears dropping often on her work , felt how rich she had been in things more precious than any luxuries money could buy -- in love , protection , peace , and health , the real blessings of life . Then it was that Jo , living in the darkened room , with that suffering little sister always before her eyes and that pathetic voice sounding in her ears , learned to see the beauty and the sweetness of Beth 's nature , to feel how deep and tender a place she filled in all hearts , and to acknowledge the worth of Beth 's unselfish ambition to live for others , and make home happy by that exercise of those simple virtues which all may possess , and which all should love and value more than talent , wealth , or beauty . And Amy , in her exile , longed eagerly to be at home , that she might work for Beth , feeling now that no service would be hard or irksome , and remembering , with regretful grief , how many neglected tasks those willing hands had done for her . Laurie haunted the house like a restless ghost , and Mr. Laurence locked the grand piano , because he could not bear to be reminded of the young neighbor who used to make the twilight pleasant for him . Everyone missed Beth . The milkman , baker , grocer , and butcher inquired how she did , poor Mrs. Hummel came to beg pardon for her thoughtlessness and to get a shroud for Minna , the neighbors sent all sorts of comforts and good wishes , and even those who knew her best were surprised to find how many friends shy little Beth had made . Meanwhile she lay on her bed with old Joanna at her side , for even in her wanderings she did not forget her forlorn protege . She longed for her cats , but would not have them brought , lest they should get sick , and in her quiet hours she was full of anxiety about Jo . She sent loving messages to Amy , bade them tell her mother that she would write soon , and often begged for pencil and paper to try to say a word , that Father might not think she had neglected him . But soon even these intervals of consciousness ended , and she lay hour after hour , tossing to and fro , with incoherent words on her lips , or sank into a heavy sleep which brought her no refreshment . Dr. Bangs came twice a day , Hannah sat up at night , Meg kept a telegram in her desk all ready to send off at any minute , and Jo never stirred from Beth 's side . The first of December was a wintry day indeed to them , for a bitter wind blew , snow fell fast , and the year seemed getting ready for its death . When Dr. Bangs came that morning , he looked long at Beth , held the hot hand in both his own for a minute , and laid it gently down , saying , in a low voice to Hannah , `` If Mrs. March can leave her husband she 'd better be sent for . '' Hannah nodded without speaking , for her lips twitched nervously , Meg dropped down into a chair as the strength seemed to go out of her limbs at the sound of those words , and Jo , standing with a pale face for a minute , ran to the parlor , snatched up the telegram , and throwing on her things , rushed out into the storm .
She was soon back , and while noiselessly taking off her cloak , XXXXX came in with a letter , saying that Mr. March was mending again .
Beth Father Jo Joanna Laurie Meg Minna days hour minute