Anne didn't quite know how to respond to that. She did usually say it was fine. She nodded at the question about the cake, but her mind was on how she was doing. Mrs. Blacke was right. Things were hard. But she had to be grateful for the good things and count her blessings.

"Well..." she began. And then it happened before she could stop it. She hadn't expected it. She wanted to stop herself, but she couldn't help it. She began to cry.