w, I heard all the sermon, and understood it pretty well
except the long words. Wasn't it nice to hear about the probable son?"

"'Prodigal,' you mean. Cannot you pronounce your words properly?"

Sir Edward's tone was irritable. He had not been feeling very
comfortable under the good vicar's words.

"I can't say that; I always forget it. Nurse says one long word is as
good as another sometimes. Uncle, what did the clergyman mean by people
running away from God? No one does, do they?"

"A great many do," was the dry response.

"But how can they? Because God is everywhere. No one can't get away
from God, and why do they want to? Because God loves them so."

"Why did the prodigal want to get away?"

Milly considered.

"I s'pose he wanted to have some a--aventures, don't you call them? I
play at that, you know. All sorts of things happen to me before I sit
down at the beech tree, but--but it's so different with God. Why, I
should be fearful unhappy if I got away from Him. I couldn't, could I,
uncle? Who would take care of me and love me when I'm asleep? And who
would listen to my prayers? Why, Uncle Edward, I think I should die of
fright if I got away from God. Do tell me I couldn't."

Milly had stopped short, and grasped hold of Sir Edward's coat in her
growing excitement. He glanced at her flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes.

"You foolish child, there is no fear of your getting away from God.
Don't be so excitable. We will change the subject. I want to see
Maxwell, so we will go through the wood."

Maxwell was Sir Edward's head game-keeper, and a little later found them
at his pretty cottage at the edge of the wood. It was Milly's first
visit, and Mrs. Maxwell, a motherly-looking body, greeted her with such
a sunshiny smile that the child drew near to her instinctively.

"What a lovely room," she exclaimed, looking round the homely little
kitchen with a child's admiring eyes, "and what a beautiful cat! May I
stroke her?"

Assent being given, Milly was soon seated in a large cushioned chair, a
fat tabby cat on her lap, and while Sir Edward was occupied with his
keeper she was making fast friends with the wife.

"Uncle Edward," she said, when they had taken their leave and were
walking homewards, "Mrs. Maxwell has asked me to go to tea with her
to-morrow. May I--all by myself?"

"Ask your nurse; I have no objection."

"I should love to live in her house," continued the child eagerly; "it
is all among the t