"Then do not talk of it at present."
And Christina gave her a loving kiss, and left the room.
Ada was enraptured at the invitation which Nellie brought for her that evening; and the only difficulty was how her attendance at her school could be arranged for. After some consideration, and with many promises to take care, Ada was to be trusted to go and return daily by omnibus for the two weeks after her school began; and Arthur willingly undertook to meet her in the morning, before his own school hours, and see her safely into the omnibus again after one o'clock.
Ada thought it was very good of her mamma to allow this, and a few days afterwards packed her box, and went with Christina to "Sunnyside," as the house was called.
The next day there came, by parcel delivery, about two o'clock in the afternoon, a basket of lovely flowers from Christina's garden. It was directed to Tom; and just inside, on a slip of paper, was written, in her clear hand:
"For my dear little Tom; one of the gifts that his heavenly Father sends him."
Tom's face, when the basket was opened, was eloquent; but he turned away and burst into tears. Never before in his life had he possessed such flowers, and to think they had been sent to him quite overcame him.
When Nellie, with tasteful fingers, was arranging them in all the vases she could muster, he said to her:
"I should like that little boy, Black Tom's son, to have some of them; do you think you could take him a bunch, Nellie?"
"Oh, willingly, dear! And what message shall I take with them?"