"Ah! he's thin enough now, Miss," observed Nurse, "even that sour stiff-backed lady would have a hard matter to call him fat. He's never been the same since she looked at him with those sharp ferret eyes of hers;" and then she moved away and went and seated herself by the fire, recounting the whole history to Anne, of not only her dislike for Miss Barker, but the reason of Bertie's apparent partiality for Frances; while the latter sat and listened to Bertie's talk, he wounding and opening her heart afresh at every word he uttered.
"Naughty Missy not to come to Bertie!" he said; and Frances could not tell him why she had stayed away; she could only remain silent and so allow him to conclude she had been unkind.
She took up some of the books Amy had left.
"Here are pretty pictures," she said, "shall Missy tell you some of the nice stories?"
"No, you mustn't. Mamma tells me them; I like her to, she tells them so pretty."
"Is there nothing Missy can do for you? Shall she sing you a song?"
"Mamma sings 'Gentle Jesus;' you don't know one so pretty do you?"
"No, Bertie, I am sure I don't."
Presently his little face brightened. "I should like you to get me kitty," he said.
"Yes. Who is kitty though?"