Mrs. Cook had already made up her mind what she would do. She would ask Mrs. March to let Nelly go back with them to New York for the winter. She knew that Mr. Cook would be willing; and she believed that Mrs. March might be persuaded to consent, on account of the advantage it would be to Nelly. But she would not mention this plan to Arthur now, because he would only be all the more disappointed if it failed. Arthur leaned his head back in his chair, and shut his eyes again.
"Oh, dear!" he said, "crying does always make my head ache so!"
"Yes, dear," said his mother, "that is reason enough, if there were no other, why you should try hard to behave like a man always, and never let any little thing upset you enough to make you cry."
"I know it," said Arthur, forlornly; "but you cry before you think you're going to; and then you can't stop."
As soon as Mrs. Cook was alone with her husband, she told him what Arthur had said.
"I am not at all surprised," he replied: "I have been expecting it."
"Of course it would never do to leave the child here," said Mrs. Cook.
"Of course not," said Mr. Cook. "But I'll tell you what we might do: take Rob and Nelly home with us for the winter. I think their father and mother would let them go."
"Rob too?" said Mrs. Cook.
"Rob too!" echoed Mr. Cook. "Why, if I could have but one Rob would be the one; but if we take one we've got to take both: you might as well propose to separate the Siamese twins."