eyes--though these tears were of thankfulness and motherly pride in the
thought of the sweet and pretty children upstairs, who at that moment
were kneeling in their little white nightgowns, one on each side of old
Nurse, as they solemnly repeated after her the Lord's Prayer, and after
that their own evening petitions that "God would bless dear Grandpapa
and Grandmamma, and make 'us' very good children, and a comfort to them
in their old age."




CHAPTER II.

BREAD AND MILK.

"Words which tenderness can speak
From the truths of homely reason."
WORDSWORTH.


Grandmamma would probably have spoken to Nurse the next day about being
careful as to what she said before the children, had not the next day
brought rather a commotion. Nurse was ill, which, old as she, too, was,
rarely happened. It was a bad attack of rheumatism, and very likely its
coming on had made her less patient than usual the day before. However
that may have been, Grandmamma was far too sorry to see her suffering to
say anything which might have troubled her, for she was already
distressed enough at not being able to get up and go about as usual.

"Never mind, Nurse," said the children to console her, when a message