“If you please,” he said, “I’ve come to say that I’d rather you gave Nancy the kitchen-range—I mean, whatever she chooses for her birthday.”
“Then you’ve forgiven her?” asked Miss Unity excitedly.
“Yes,” said David. “Good-night, because it’s bed-time. Nurse said I was to go back directly.”
He held out his hand, and also raised a pursed-up mouth towards Miss Unity, which meant that he wished to be kissed.
Feeling the honour deeply she stooped and kissed him, and her eyes followed the little square figure wistfully as it trotted down the passage to the nursery; when it disappeared she turned into her room again with a warmer feeling about her heart than she had known for many a day.
Three days after this was Nancy’s birthday, and although the kitchen-range did not appear she hopped and skipped and looked so brimful of delight that David could not help asking: “What are you so pleased about?”
“Come with me,” was Nancy’s reply, “and I’ll show you Miss Unity’s birthday present. It’s the best of all.”
She hurried David into the garden, and up to the pig-sty—empty no longer! There was Antony as lively as ever, and ready to greet his master with a cheerful grunt!
“There,” she said, in the intervals of a dance of triumph, “I and Andrew fetched him home. Father said we might. I asked Miss Unity to ask him to have him back for a birthday present. And she did. She was so kind; and I don’t think she’s ugly now at all.”