And the conviction of our folly deepened when we reached the granary and found that Pat , watched over by the faithful Sara Ray , was no better . The Story Girl announced that she would take him into the kitchen and sit up all night with him . `` He sha 'n' t die alone , anyway , '' she said miserably , gathering his limp body up in her arms . We did not think Aunt Olivia would give her permission to stay up ; but Aunt Olivia did . Aunt Olivia really was a duck . We wanted to stay with her also , but Aunt Janet would n't hear of such a thing . 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 XXXXX 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 .
Of as if in over than that though to with