arrots had
gone with nurse to have tea with her, which was a great treat. But
to-day they were not going to tea; they were only going because nurse
had to pay Mrs. White some money for washing up Jack's things quickly,
and nurse knew the old woman would be glad to have it, as it was close
to the day on which she had to pay her rent.

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