looked appealingly at
Bindle, who nodded reassuringly.

"Look 'ere, 'Earty," whispered Bindle, "you're up agin' somethin' yer
don't understand, I don't rightly understand it meself. Better let me
take Millie 'ome to Lizzie, she'll look after 'er all right."

For a moment Mr. Hearty hesitated; then with a glance at Millie's
resolute face, he said:

"Millie, your uncle will take you to your Aunt Elizabeth."

"That is where I was going, father," she replied quietly, and Mr.
Hearty felt that he had been badly beaten, and by his own daughter,
who, until this evening, he had always regarded as a child.

Millie leant heavily on Bindle's arm as they walked down the High
Street. She did not notice that they were going in the opposite
direction from the Bindles' house. Suddenly her eyes grew wide with
wonder; coming towards them was Charlie Dixon, whose half-hour had been
spent in torture.

"Millie!"

She smiled up into his face wearily.

"Now, young feller," said Bindle with forced cheerfulness, "don't arst
questions. Millie's comin' 'ome wi' me. It'll be all right, but," and
he whispered to Charlie Dixon, "it's been----" Bindle completed his
sentence with a look. "Now then, Millikins, say good-night to Charlie
an' we'll be off."

Like a tired child she lifted her face to be kissed, a flicker of a
smile playing round her moist lips.

"Good-night, Charlie," she whispered. "I'm so tired."

"I shall always be grateful, Mr. Bindle," said Charlie Dixon, grasping
Bindle's hand.

"Leggo, you young fool," yelled Bindle. Charlie Dixon dropped his hand
as if it had been electrified. "Next time you're grateful," remarked
Bindle, as he ruefully examined his hand, "you put it down on paper; it
won't 'urt so much."

And they parted.

"That you, Bindle?" Bindle recognised the familiar tones as he groped
along the passage of his house with Millie.

Mrs. Bindle looked up from the supper table as they entered the kitchen.

"I brought Millie 'ome, Lizzie," said Bindle simply. "There's been
trouble. 'Earty's gone mad. I'll tell yer all about it later."

One look told Mrs. Bindle everything she wanted to know. All the
baulked motherhood in her nature rose up as she took the girl in her
arms, and led her upstairs.

Bindle sat down to his supper. Several times Mrs. Bindle entered the
room to fetch various things, but no word passed between them. Bindle
had been taken by surprise. He would have been even more