she said, "or you may soil your frocks. It has been
raining, and it is wet and muddy." For a short time they walked up and
down the path as good as gold. Then Ada saw a frog hop away over the
grass. She forgot her mother's command, and ran after it. The grass
was slippery; she fell, and her clean frock was all smeared and spoilt
by muddy streaks. Her mother came out and was very vexed. "Now, Ada,
you will have to stay at home. I can't take you in a dirty frock. It
will serve you right for being so disobedient." Ada cried and sobbed,
and said she was sorry, and begged to be taken. But her mother said
no. Then Nellie, who loved her sister, and was an unselfish little
girl, said: "Mother, dear, do take Ada, she is so sorry; let me stay at
home, and then she can wear my frock." At first the mother wouldn't
hear of this, but Nellie begged so hard that at last she consented.
Ada's dirty frock was taken off her and Nellie's clean one put on her.
She went to the party and Nellie stayed at home. Now don't you think,
as she walked along with her mother, that she would be very careful not
to dirty Nellie's clean frock? I think she would be more careful than
ever. Jesus Christ kept His robe pure and spotless. He never sinned
at all, so His robe is put over us, and we can enter the gates. But
oughtn't we to be very careful not to sin, just to show Him how we
value our robe, how we love Him for being so kind and good to us?'
Mrs. Allonby paused. Bobby nodded his head very solemnly at her.

'Me and Nobbles will 'member that story. I'll tell him it in bed. You
know sometimes I make Nobbles do naughty things, but sometimes'--here
the twinkle came into the brown eyes--'sometimes Nobbles puts naughty
things in my head. He whispers them to me in bed.'

'That isn't Nobbles,' said True, in her downright fashion, 'that's the
Devil, isn't it, motherums?'

'No,' asserted Bobby, 'it's Nobbles, all by himself. P'raps Satan may
have whispered to him first. Shall I tell you what he wants me to do
to-morrer?'

'Oh, do!' True's eagerness to hear Bobby's inventions got the better
of her. Mrs. Allonby said nothing. She liked the children to talk
freely before her, and she gained a good deal by being listener
sometimes.

'You know those top pears on the wall what _won't_ fall down? Nobbles
says if I get on a chair and reach up he'll hit them down, and then I
can pick them up. We was finking about doing it first thing b