Floss and Carrots were delighted to go, for even when they did not stay to tea, Mrs. White always gave them a glass of milk, and, generally, a piece of home-made cake.
Before they started, nurse went to her drawer and took out of it a very small packet done up in white paper, and this little packet she put into her purse.
It was, after all, a nice fine day. Floss and Carrots talked quietly beside nurse for a little, and then she gave them leave to run races, which made the way seem very short, till they got to Mrs. White's.
"How nice it will be when we have our hoops, won't it, Carrots?" said Floss.
Carrots had almost forgotten about the hoops, but now that Floss mentioned them, it put him in mind of something else.
"Wouldn't you like a new doll, Floss?" he said mysteriously, "a most beautifullest new doll, with hair like – like the angels' hairs in the big window at church, and eyes like the little blue stones in mamma's ring?"
"Of course I would," said Floss, "and we'd call her Angelina, wouldn't we Carrots? But it's no good thinking about it – I shall never have one like that, unless the fairies send it me!"
"If the fairies sended you money to buy one, wouldn't that do?" said Carrots, staring up in her face with a funny look in his eyes.
But before Floss had time to answer, nurse called to them – they were at the corner of the lane which led to Mrs. White's.
Mrs. White was very kind. She had baked a cake only a day or two before, and cut off a beautiful big piece for each of the children, then she gave them a drink of milk, and they ran out into her little garden to eat their cake and look at the flowers, till nurse had finished her business with the old washerwoman, and was ready to go home.
Floss and Carrots thought a great deal of Mrs. White's garden. Small as it was, it had far more flowers in it than their own garden at the back of the Cove House, for it was a mile or two farther from the sea, and the soil was richer, and it was more sheltered from the wind.
In summer there was what Floss called quite a "buzzy" sound in this little garden – she meant that sweet, lazy-busy hum of bees and butterflies and all sorts of living creatures, that you never hear except in a real old-fashioned garden where there are lots of clove pinks and sweet williams and roses, roses especially, great, big cabbage roses, and dear little pink climbing roses, the kind that peep in at a cottage window to bid you "good morning." Oh, how very sweet those old-fashioned flowers are – though "rose fanciers" and all the clever gardeners we have now-a-days wouldn't give anything for them! I think them the sweetest of all. Don't you, children? Or is it only when one begins to grow old-fashioned oneself and to care more for things that used to be than things that are now, that one gets to prize these old friends so?
I am wandering away from Floss and Carrots waiting for nurse in the cottage garden; you must forgive me, boys and girls – when people begin to grow old they get in the habit of telling stories in a rambling way, but I don't find children so hard upon this tiresome habit as big people sometimes are. And it all comes back to me so – even the old washerwoman's cottage I can see so plainly, and the dear straggly little garden!
For you see, children, I am telling you the history of a real little boy and girl, not fancy children, and that is why, though there is nothing very wonderful about Floss and Carrots, I hope the story of their little pleasures and sorrows and simple lives may be interesting to you.
But I must finish about the visit to the washerwoman in another chapter. I have made this one rather too long already.
CHAPTER IV.
THE LOST HALF-SOVEREIGN
"Children should not leave about
Anything that's small and bright;
Lest the fairies spy it out,
And fly off with it at night."
There was no buzzy sound in Mrs. White's garden this afternoon. It was far too early in the year for that, indeed it was beginning to feel quite chilly and cold, as the afternoons often do of fine days in early spring, and by the time Floss and Carrots had eaten their cake, and examined all the rose bushes to see if they could find any buds, and wished it were summer, so that there would be some strawberries hiding under the glossy green leaves, they began to wonder why nurse was so long – and to feel rather cold and tired of waiting.
"Just run to the door, Carrots, dear," said Floss, "and peep in to see if nurse is coming."
She did not like to go herself, for she knew that nurse and Mrs. White were fond of a comfortable talk together and might not like to be interrupted by her. But Carrots they would not mind.
Carrots set off obediently, but before he got to the door he met nurse coming out. She was followed by Mrs. White and both were talking rather earnestly.
"You'll let me know, if so be as you find it, Mrs. Hooper; you won't forget?" Mrs. White was saying – Hooper was nurse's name – "for I feel quite uneasy – I do that, for you."
"I'll let you know, and thank you, Mrs. White," said nurse. "I'm glad I happened to bring some of my own money with me too, for I should have been sorry to put you to any ill-convenience by my carelessness – though how I could have been so careless as to mislay it, I'm sure it's more than I can say."
"It is, indeed, and you so careful," said Mrs. White sympathisingly.
Just then nurse caught sight of Carrots.
"Come along, Master Carrots," she said, "I was just going to look for you. Wherever's Miss Floss? We must be quick; it's quite time we were home."
"I'll tell Floss," said Carrots, disappearing again down the path, and in another moment Floss and he ran back to nurse.
Though they had been very quick, nurse seemed to think they had been slow. She even scolded Floss a very little as if she had been kept waiting by her and Carrots, when she was in a hurry to go, and both Floss and Carrots felt that this was very hard when the fact was that they had been waiting for nurse till they were both tired and cold.
"It wasn't Floss's fault. Floss wanted you to come quick, and she sended me to see," said Carrots indignantly.
"Hold your tongue, Master Carrots," said nurse sharply.
Carrots' face got very red, he gave nurse one reproachful look, but did not speak. He took Floss's hand and pulled her on in front. But Floss would not go; she drew her hand away.
"No, Carrots, dear," she said in a low voice, "it wouldn't be kind to leave nurse all alone when she is sorry about something."
"Is she sorry about something?" said Carrots.
"Yes," replied Floss, "I am sure she is. You run on for a minute. I want to speak to nurse."
Carrots ran on and Floss stayed behind.
"Nurse," she said softly, slipping her hand through nurse's arm, which, by stretching up on tip-toe, she was just able to do, "nurse, dear, what's the matter?"
"Nothing much, Miss Flossie," replied nurse, patting the kind little hand, "nothing much, but I'm growing an old woman and easy put out – and such a stupid like thing for me to have done!"
"What have you done? What is stupid?" inquired Floss, growing curious as well as sympathising.
"I have lost a half-sovereign – a ten-shilling piece in gold, Miss Flossie," replied nurse.
"Out of your pocket – dropped it, do you mean?" said Floss.
"Oh no – I had it in my purse – at least I thought I had," said nurse.