Christina was entranced at once. Sad to say, she forgot poor Nurse, and when her father saw her thoroughly engrossed in her book, he left her, and went back to discuss her nursery education with his wife.
When Christina met Nurse again that evening that good woman was calm and collected, and said with as much dignity as she ever showed towards her little charge:
"I was upset, dearie, but we'll say no more at present about my going. I shan't be off next week, nor the week after."
Christina said no more, but when she was in bed her troubles, that always seemed very heavy then, returned to her.
A new nurse was far more to be dreaded than a new father and mother.
"Oh," she sighed, "I wish I could see Miss Bertha! She would comfort me, I know she would." Then the remembrance of Miss Bertha's text came to her:
"'What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.'"
The very saying it over seemed to soothe her. She fell asleep with the words upon her lips.
The next day her mother came into the nursery at eleven o'clock, and told Nurse to get her little stepdaughter ready to go out with her.
Christina's eyes were big with fear, until she looked across to her paper over the mantelpiece.