"I'm sorry," Samantha said. She held out the jar of preserves to Miss Brigham, who looked as if she'd seen a ghost. She pressed Samantha close to her again, the preserves staining her nightgown as well.
"It's all right, dear. Come and sit down." They ate what remained of the preserves and bread along with some lukewarm water. Samantha chewed her breakfast without any joy, having turned something as simple as opening a jar into a disaster. Everywhere she went, trouble followed in her wake.
She volunteered to clean up the mess she'd made, scrubbing preserves from off the floor and walls. Miss Brigham fetched clean clothes and together they went down to the stream to bathe. This time Samantha stayed close to the shore. As she stood in the water, she avoided looking at her reflection.
After they dried off, Miss Brigham combed Samantha's hair-a far easier process than two days before-and pulled it back into a pair of braids. "You look adorable," Miss Brigham said. She coaxed Samantha into looking at her reflection. Samantha backed away from the water a second later.
"I look like a baby," she said.
"I think you look very grown up. Give it a chance, dear." Samantha doubted this, but didn't see any choice in the matter. After what had happened already this morning she didn't want to hurt Miss Brigham's feelings.
When they got back to the cottage, Samantha sat down at Miss Brigham's desk and opened the oversized Bible. "For today you need only read about creation and the Garden of Eden. We'll discuss it after lunch," Miss Brigham said.
Samantha dutifully started to read from the Bible. Right away she had questions, but Miss Brigham had already gone to attend to the other girls. How could God make everything in six days? she wondered. She went over to the window and looked out at the trees, plants, and clouds outside. She didn't see how all of that could have been made in six days.
She sat down and read the rest of her assigned reading. Poor Adam and Eve getting kicked out of paradise for eating a silly apple. It was one stupid apple; why couldn't God forgive them? She made a note to ask Miss Brigham about this after lunch. Since she still had time, she flipped through the Bible, studying the colorful pictures of a boy and a giant, a man surrounded by lions, and a man riding a chariot into the sky.
Miss Brigham returned with a pitcher of milk and a plate of biscuits. The biscuits had as little taste as the bread. "How was class?" Samantha asked.