“Well, Bessie,” said Mrs. Norton to the little girl, “is your mother in?”

“Naw,” said Bessie, without taking her fingers out of her mouth.

“Oh, I’m sorry for that.  Do you know when she’s likely to be in?”

“Naw,” said Bessie again, beginning to eat her pinafore as well as her fingers.  Meanwhile Charlie had been creeping behind Bessie to get out of Olly’s way; for Olly, who always wanted to make friends, was trying to shake hands with him, and Charlie was dreadfully afraid that he wanted to kiss him too.

“What a pity,” said Mrs. Norton, “I wanted to ask her a question.  Come away, Olly, and don’t tease Charlie if he doesn’t want to shake hands.  Can you remember, Bessie, to tell your mother that I came to see her?”

“Yis,” said Bessie.

“And can you remember, too, to ask her if she will let you and Charlie come down to tea with Miss Milly and Master Olly, this afternoon, at five o’clock?”

“Yis,” said Bessie, getting shyer and shyer, and eating up her pinafore faster than ever.

“Good-bye, then,” said Mrs. Norton.

“Good-bye, Bessie,” said Milly, softly, taking her hand.

Bessie stared at her, but didn’t say anything.

Olly, having quite failed in shaking hands, was now trying to kiss Charlie; but Charlie wouldn’t have it at all, and every time Olly came near, Charlie pushed him away with his little fists.  This made Olly rather cross, and he began to try with all his strength to make Charlie kiss him, when suddenly Charlie got away from him, and running to a pile of logs of wood which was lying in the yard he climbed up the logs like a little squirrel, and was soon at the top of the heap, looking down on Olly, who was very much astonished.

“Mother, do let me climb up too!” entreated Olly, as Mrs. Norton took his hand to lead him away.  “I want to climb up krick like that!  Oh, do let me try!”

“No, no, Olly! come along.  We shall never get to the farm if you stay climbing here.  And you wouldn’t find it as easy as Charlie does, I can tell you.”

“Why, I’m bigger than Charlie,” said Olly, pouting, as they walked away.

“But you haven’t got such stout legs; and, besides, Charlie is always out of doors all day long, climbing and poking about.  I daresay he can do outdoor things better than you can.  You’re a little town boy, you know.”

“Charlie’s got a black face,” said Olly, who was not at all pleased that Charlie, who was smaller than he was, and dirty besides, could do anything better than he could.

“Well, you see, he hasn’t got a Nana always looking after him as you have.”

“Hasn’t he got any Nana?” asked Olly, looking as if he didn’t understand how there could be little children without Nanas.

“He hasn’t got any nurse but his mother, and Mrs. Wheeler has a great deal else to do than looking after him.  What would you be like, do you think, Olly, if I had to do all the housework, and cook the dinner, and mind the baby, and there was no nurse to wash your face and hands for you?”