`` What 's your name ? '' asked Caroline . `` Robert Ross , ma'am . '' `` Oh , you 're Mrs. Ross 's nephew then , '' said Caroline , breaking eggs into her cake-bowl , and whisking them deftly round . `` And you 're Sampson 's errand boy just now ? My goodness , '' as the boy spread his blue hands over the fire , `` where are your mittens , child ? You 're never out without mittens a day like this ! '' `` I lent them to William John -- he had n't any , '' faltered Bertie . He did not know but that the lady might consider it a grave crime to be mittenless . `` No mittens ! '' exclaimed Amy in dismay . `` Why , I have three pairs . And who is William John ? '' `` He is my cousin , '' said Bertie . `` And he 's awful sickly . He wanted to go out to play , and he had n't any mittens , so I lent him mine . I did n't miss them -- much . '' `` What kind of a Christmas did you have ? '' `` We did n't have any . '' `` No Christmas ! ''
XXXXX Amy , quite overcome .
's breaking exclaimed faltered know lent miss said spread whisking