"Never you mind, dear. You will see when I come home. Just you sit upon the door-step and have an eye to the cow while I am away."
Nelly accordingly took her sewing to the door-step, where she worked away sedulously, now and then lifting her eyes to glance at the cow, and giving a peculiar cry which Crummie well understood as a hint that she must not stray too far.
"There!" said Nelly, at last, holding up her work, and looking at it. "That a'n't so bad, after all. I wonder if I can't wash it?" But glancing at the stove and perceiving that the fire was out, Nelly gave up the last idea, and, after a sedulous use of her new nail-brush and pumice-stone, she took her tatting and sat down to work at it, delighted to find how much faster she could work than before. She had made almost a quarter of a yard, when a shadow coming before her caused her to look up, and she uttered a joyful exclamation as she saw Mr. Lambert with a little carpet-bag in his hand.
"Well, Nelly, and so you are at work at your tatting still?" he said, kindly. "You are a persevering little girl."
"I don't like to give up when once I begin," said Nelly.
"That is right. No, I can't come in now. I have brought you a little present, Nelly—a frock and some other things of my daughter's,—which I think you will find useful. See: do you think you can wear this?"
Nelly's face grew crimson with delight at the sight of the pretty plaid frock hardly worn at all, she thought, the nice gray sack, and red striped stockings,—she had always wanted some red stockings,—and the good, substantial, though partly worn-out boots.
"And now, Nelly, I want you to do me a favour," said Mr. Lambert. "I want you to take your work and sit down just as you were when I first saw you by the side of the road,—there! that is just it. Now sit still a few minutes." Mr. Lambert took his book and pencil, and drew rapidly for about twenty minutes.
"There, that will do," said he. "Now tell me, which is your cow?"
"I will call her, if you want to see her," said Nelly, much puzzled with these strange proceedings. "She always comes when I call her."