The laugh had left her mother’s voice, and it was sad but yet tender, when Tot exclaimed in surprise:
“Last night! wasn’t it night before last? What day is this, mamma?”
“Tuesday, of course,—what do you mean?”
“I thought it was Wednesday, and oh! such dreadful things happened yesterday!” and Tot threw herself on her mother’s bosom, and burst into sobs.
“Oh—I see, my dear,” said Mrs. Sheldon, tenderly stroking her child’s tumbled curls, “you’ve had your nightmare! But don’t cry, for nothing really dreadful has happened, except that I’m afraid my little girl told her mother a wrong story last night.”
“Oh, no, I didn’t, mamma—or, at least I thought I didn’t; for I hadn’t eaten a single nut when you asked me, but ate them afterwards;—but, oh! I’ll never do it again in the world, if you’ll forgive me.”
The forgiveness was freely granted, when the story of a day’s troubles which had been crowded into an hour’s disturbed slumber, had been related, and Tot in the neatest of toilets and with the freshest curls, ate her breakfast, and, without forgetting to take her French grammar, went off to school. She could hardly get it out of her head all day long, that she was in disgrace, but her lessons went off well, Mr. Stimpson was as kind as ever, and Nettie Mayfair was as loving as a bosom-friend could possibly be.
Tot’s strong digestive organs had done the heavy work assigned them by their reckless little mistress, but they had given her a foretaste of what might happen in reality, were she to grow dyspeptic and miserable, through abusing them. In her unrest, she had turned over her pillow to find a cool spot for her head, and spilt the shells from their bag into the bed.
One good lesson was taught by the nightmare, however, to the mother as well as the child, for thereafter, some light refreshment, as a slice of light plain cake and a glass of milk, was allowed each child of the Sheldon family, an hour before he or she went to bed, and thus the temptation to recur to her old habit never overcame Tot’s resolution to eat no more private lunches.
