She had waited upon him at his meals, and brought him books and playthings, from time to time, to amuse him.

After he had fully recovered his health, he was sitting in the garden, one sunny morning in the spring, with his mother, and she said, "How kind Mary was to you while you were sick!" "Yes," said Robert, "she was very kind indeed." "If you would like to do something for her in return," continued his mother, "I'll tell you what would be a good plan." Robert, who, perhaps, without this conversation would not have thought particularly of making any return, said he should like to do something for her very much.
"Then," said his mother, "you might make her a garden.

I can mark off a place for a bed for her large enough to hold a number of kinds of flowers, and then you can dig it up, and rake it over, and lay it off into little beds, and sow the seeds.

I'll buy the seeds for you.

I should like to do something towards making the garden for her, for she helped me a great deal, as well as you, in the care she took of you." "Well," said Robert, "I'll do it." "You are well and strong now, so you can do it pretty easily," added the mother; "but still, unless you would like to do it yourself for her sake, I can get the man to do it.