to every word that was said,
and carried it faithfully home to Mrs. Blair, for she, poor woman,
seemed quite as anxious to find Jesus as the children had been.

Willie's "pretty lady" had quite won the children's hearts, so that Willie
had lost all his shyness with her; and as for the lady herself, she
delighted to bear him chatter. Bob told her all about their life in
Primrose Place, and on the streets since, and what a good friend Mrs. Blair
had been to them.

"Why, you see," she said, "Jesus has been taking care of you all the time;
only you did not know it."

"'As 'e?" said Bob wonderingly.

"Of course He has," was the reply. "Don't you see how He has let you take
care of Willie? All the kind, loving thoughts that you have about are put
into your mind by Jesus. It was He made Mrs. Blair so kind to you.
She wouldn't have looked after you so well if He had not put the thoughts
into her head."

So, little by little, the minds of the children began to open, and they
understood something of the way in which Jesus loved them.

In spite of the new clothes that Bob's careful saving up had procured for
him, little Willie seemed to feel the cold very keenly, and Bob often felt
very anxious about him. He caught cold, and that left him with a bad
cough. Several times Bob had to leave him at home while he went to his
crossing alone. But these were miserable days for the elder boy.
He always declared that people took no notice of him when Willie was not
there, and it was very little he could earn. Had it not been for Mrs.
Blair, the children would often have had to spend the night out of doors.

One very wet evening in December Bob turned into the mission-room alone.
Willie had been too ill to go out with him in the morning, and he wanted to
go straight home; he thought Willie would be so lonely.

But Willie would not hear of it. "No, Bob," he said; "go an' see my pretty
lady, so's yer can tell me wot she says when yer come 'ome."

Miss. Elton saw him come in at the door, and quickly missed her little
favourite.

"Why, Bob," she said, "where's Willie?"

"Please'm," he answered, "'e ain't well. 'E couldn't come out with me
to-day."

"Poor little chap!" said the lady kindly. "I hope he isn't very bad.
I must come and see him. Do you think he would like me to?"

"I should jist think 'e would," answered Bob.

"Very well, then, you must tell me the way, and I will come to-morrow."

Bob did so as clearly a