Read "The Little Minister" by James Matthew Barrie online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
Hardly had I crossed the threshold of the mudhouse when such a sickness came over me that I could not have looked up, though Nanny's voice had suddenly changed to Margaret's. Vaguely I knew that Nanny had put the kettle on the fire -- a woman's first thought when there is illness in the house -- and as I sat with my hands over my face I heard the water dripping from my clothes to the floor.
"Why is that bell ringing? " I asked at last, ignoring all questions and speaking through my fingers. An artist, I suppose, could paint all expression out of a human face. The sickness was having that effect on my voice.