"'As 'e?" said Bob wonderingly.
"Of course He has," was the reply. "Don't you see how He has let you take care of Willie? All the kind, loving thoughts that you have about are put into your mind by Jesus. It was He made Mrs. Blair so kind to you. She wouldn't have looked after you so well if He had not put the thoughts into her head."
So, little by little, the minds of the children began to open, and they understood something of the way in which Jesus loved them.
In spite of the new clothes that Bob's careful saving up had procured for him, little Willie seemed to feel the cold very keenly, and Bob often felt very anxious about him. He caught cold, and that left him with a bad cough. Several times Bob had to leave him at home while he went to his crossing alone. But these were miserable days for the elder boy. He always declared that people took no notice of him when Willie was not there, and it was very little he could earn. Had it not been for Mrs. Blair, the children would often have had to spend the night out of doors.
One very wet evening in December Bob turned into the mission-room alone. Willie had been too ill to go out with him in the morning, and he wanted to go straight home; he thought Willie would be so lonely.
But Willie would not hear of it. "No, Bob," he said; "go an' see my pretty lady, so's yer can tell me wot she says when yer come 'ome."
Miss. Elton saw him come in at the door, and quickly missed her little favourite.
"Why, Bob," she said, "where's Willie?"
"Please'm," he answered, "'e ain't well. 'E couldn't come out with me to-day."
"Poor little chap!" said the lady kindly. "I hope he isn't very bad.
I must come and see him. Do you think he would like me to?"