CHAPTER THIRTY NINE – LEARNING HER PLACE

The morning's chores didn't go any better. Assigned to help in the kitchen, Rebecca found herself peeling potatoes for lunch. Lost in thought, she didn't notice how close the peeler was getting to her fingers until— "Ouch!" she yelped, dropping the peeler as blood welled up from a cut on her thumb. Sister Agnes, who was overseeing the kitchen, rushed over. "Oh, dear. Let's get that cleaned up." As Sister Agnes bandaged her thumb, Rebecca felt tears of frustration prick at her eyes. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I'm not very good at this." Sister Agnes patted her hand. "It takes practice, child. You'll get there." But Rebecca wasn't so sure. Everything she did seemed to go wrong. After lunch, Rebecca was assigned to the library to help organize books. Finally, something she felt confident about! Her mood lifted as she began sorting through a cart of returned books. As she reached for a heavy tome on the top shelf, Rebecca lost her balance on the small step stool. She grabbed wildly