"I understand that," replied Mr. March; "but you must know that it is also a very great obligation under which we lay ourselves to you. I feel it to be such, and I confess I shrink from it: I can never repay it." "Nonsense!" said Mr. Cook. "The obligation is all on our side; and if you had ever had a poor helpless child like Arthur, you could realize it. Why, March, I'd give all my fortune this moment, and begin at the bottom and make it all over again, if I could see Arthur well and strong as your Rob." And the tears filled Mr. Cook's eyes, as he shook hands with Mrs. March, and bade her good-night. Mr. and Mrs. March talked nearly all night before they could come to a decision about this matter. It was a terrible thing to them to look forward to a whole winter without the children. But Mrs. March continually said:-- "Robert, suppose we never have another chance to give either of them such an opportunity of pleasure and improvement as this. How shall we feel when we look back? We should never forgive ourselves." So it was decided that the children should go. In the morning Mrs. March said to Nelly:-- "You'll miss Arthur when he goes: won't you?" Nelly hesitated, and finally said:-- "Arthur says he won't go!" "Won't go!" exclaimed Mrs. March: "what does he mean?" "He is going to ask his father to ask you to let him stay here with us," replied Nelly. "I thought he might sleep in Rob's bed. Rob says he'd just as soon sleep on the lounge; and I thought you'd be willing. He's such a poor dear! I could take all the care of him." "Would you really like to have him?" said Mrs. March. "Oh, yes, indeed, mamma, ever so much! I love him as well as I do Rob,--almost: not quite, I guess, because he isn't my own brother; but it is so hard for him to be sick, that makes me love him more." "Mr. and Mrs. Cook came down here last night to ask us to let you and Rob go back to New York with them for the winter," said Mrs. March, very quietly, watching Nelly's face as she spoke. It turned scarlet in one second, and the voice was almost a shriek in which Nelly cried out:-- "Oh, mamma! how perfectly splendid! Can we go?" Then in the very next second she said:-- "But you couldn't spare us: could you? You couldn't stay here all alone." And her face fell. "Yes, I think we could spare you; and we have said you might go," said Mrs. March, smiling. Nelly's arms were round her mother's neck in one moment, and she was kissing her and half laughing and half crying. "Oh, mamma! mamma!" she said, "I can't tell whether I am glad or sorry. I don't want to go away from you; but oh! if you only could hear Arthur tell of all the beautiful things in New York! Oh! I don't know whether I am sorry or glad!" But Mrs. March knew very well that she was glad, and this made it much easier for her to bear the thought of the separation.