to say anything not quite true that they hesitated, and this hesitation
saved them from making another step in the wrong direction.

"I wasn't finking of Nurse, Grandmamma," said Pamela at last in rather a
low voice.

"Nor I wasn't neither," said Duke, taking courage by her example.

"That's all right, then," said Grandmamma cheerfully, not having noticed
anything unusual in their tone. "Poor Nurse, we are sorry for her to be
ill, but I don't think it will be anything very bad. And I am sure you
will try to be _very_ good."

"Yes, Grandmamma," said the two voices together, but less confidently
and more timidly than usual. This time their tone caught the old lady's
attention.

"There's something on their minds," she said to herself. But she was a
wise old lady, and thought it better to wait a while before trying to
find out what it was.

"When I was a little girl," she began--and the children pricked up their
ears--"when I was a little girl I remember once that our nurse was ill,
or she had to go away to see some friend who was ill, and, as I was the
eldest of several little brothers and sisters, I had to help to take
care of them. I had always thought it would be very pleasant to be
without a nurse, though we liked ours very well, and to be able to do
just as we wished. But I shall never forget how pleased I was to see her
come back again," and Grandmamma laughed a little at the recollection.