She ordered us off to bed , saying that it was positively sinful in us to be so worked up over a cat . Five heart-broken children , who knew that there are many worse friends than dumb , furry folk , climbed Uncle Alec 's stairs to bed that night . `` There 's nothing we can do now , except pray God to make Pat better , '' said Cecily . I must candidly say that her tone savoured strongly of a last resort ; but this was owing more to early training than to any lack of faith on Cecily 's part . She knew and we knew , that prayer was a solemn rite , not to be lightly held , nor degraded to common uses . Felicity voiced this conviction when she said , `` I do n't believe it would be right to pray about a cat . '' `` I 'd like to know why not , '' retorted Cecily , `` God made Paddy just as much as He made you , Felicity King , though perhaps He did n't go to so much trouble . And I 'm sure He 's abler to help him than Peg Bowen . Anyhow , I 'm going to pray for Pat with all my might and main , and I 'd like to see you try to stop me . Of course I wo n't mix it up with more important things . I 'll just tack it on after I 've finished asking the blessings , but before I say amen . '' More petitions than Cecily 's were offered up that night on behalf of Paddy . I distinctly heard Felix -- who always said his prayers in a loud whisper , owing to some lasting conviction of early life that God could not hear him if he did not pray audibly -- mutter pleadingly , after the `` important '' part of his devotions was over , `` Oh , God , please make Pat better by the morning . PLEASE do . '' And I , even in these late years of irreverence for the dreams of youth , am not in the least ashamed to confess that when I knelt down to say my boyish prayer , I thought of our little furry comrade in his extremity , and prayed as reverently as I knew how for his healing . Then I went to sleep , comforted by the simple hope that the Great Father would , after `` important things '' were all attended to , remember poor Pat . As soon as we were up the next morning we rushed off to Uncle Roger 's . But we met Peter and the Story Girl in the lane , and their faces were as the faces of those who bring glad tidings upon the mountains . `` Pat 's better , '' cried the Story Girl , blithe , triumphant . `` Last night , just at twelve , he began to lick his paws .
Then he licked himself all over and went XXXXX sleep , too , on the sofa .
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