Somehow that evening Nannie and Jack were greater friends than ever; and as they sat together looking at the pictures in some large books that Nannie couldn't lift alone, Nannie was not sorry she had listened to the little voice that had troubled her only to make her do right. CHAPTER III. CHRISTMAS. What a beautiful morning it was, that Christmas morning! It seemed as though the earth, in its pure robe of snow, and the trees, in their sparkling armour of ice, every twig jewelled and gleaming in the sun, had clothed themselves in beauty, and with joyful thoughts were giving thanks to their Creator. Nannie didn't think all this, but something very much like it was in her heart, as she stood looking out from the window, as sister Mary set the last smoking dish on the table. That morning Dr. Merry read the 116th Psalm, beginning, _"I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice."_ Nannie listened very attentively, but there was one verse she didn't quite understand. It was this: _"I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving."_ She hadn't time after prayers to ask her father or sister Mary about it, but all the time she kept thinking of it and trying to understand it. She didn't know that every time she had looked out upon the snow, and felt thankful to God for the bright fire within that kept her warm, she had offered the sacrifice of thanksgiving. She didn't know that when she thought of Jesus, and her little heart seemed so full of love to him, because he had died for her, she had offered indeed an acceptable sacrifice of thanksgiving. She didn't know it; but Jesus knew it, and accepted the sacrifice, with the same love as when royal David sang the words to his golden harp. "Nannie," called sister Mary, "Jack is waiting for you." "In a minute," said Nannie, as she pulled on her warm mittens. "It had better be a minute," Jack cried, "if you're going with me, for I haven't much time to spare before dinner." Nannie, laughing, took up the little basket her mother had packed so nicely for Grannie Burt, and off they started, Jack drawing the large basket on his little hand-barrow. "Where shall we go first, Jack?" "Oh, to Grannie Burt's, of course, and then you can help me to draw the barrow the rest of the way." "Let us go to the other places first," said Nannie, "and then you can draw me on the barrow the rest of the way." "That's more than I bargained for; this basket is all that I want to carry before dinner." Poor Jack, however, was destined to carry a much heavier load than his basket of mince-pies and roast chickens; for as Nannie skipped along, her foot slipped, and down she came, basket and all, while grannie's nice mince-pies tumbled out, and rolled down the street. "Oh dear!" said Nannie, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "do look at grannie's pie! What shall we do?" "Pick it up, of course," said Jack, as he ran after it.