Chapter Seven

Tim went into the garden and Lizzie ran and leaned out of the window.

She could hardly tell one flower from another, but she could see the round bed very plainly, and the center of the bed where she knew her queen must be. And presently she saw Tim. He was taking long strides as if he were in a hurry to get through.

He stepped on the edge of the bed and reached over. He snapped it off, and Lizzie gave a little gasp. He brought it in, and when Lizzie took it out of his hand she found two tears on her eyewinkers. But she was very much ashamed of them, blinked them away in a hurry.

Tim brought up the lamp and paper and pencil, and Lizzie sat down, with Bobby and Gracie leaning over her shoulders, to print the apology.

This is what she printed, in great big letters:

"To Miss Ellen Webster, the forgiver, from rude, bad, sorry, very much-ashamed Bobby and Gracie and Lizzie Swallow."

Then she tied the flowers into a bouquet, with the geranium in the middle, just as it used to be in her garden, and pinned the paper round their stems and went and laid them on Miss Ellen's bureau.

After that they all knelt down and said their prayers over again, putting in something that they had not put in before. One by one they told God that they were sorry and ashamed, and asked Him to help them remember not to be so rude and unkind again.

Then Bobby went back into his crib, and he never thought of being afraid. The moonshine was soft and warm, and not cold anymore. The shadows were only playing with each other, not scowling, as Bobby had fancied when he lay there alone before.

Best of all, Bobby was not one bit lonesome. God seemed to be very near His little boy, not that Bobby had made his peace with Him. Bobby felt almost as if he had hold of his dear heavenly Father's hand as he lay there alone in the moonlight. "It seems as if I could 'most see my 'oder Fader to-night," said Bobby to himself.

The little girls kissed each other and shut up their eyes and went to sleep. And all night they lay cuddled down in their pillows and slept as sweetly as the wee babies who had never done wrong, they had repented and been forgiven.

To be continued ...

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