t you neither who sent Mother's
cactus down to the farm?"

"Similarly," replied he, "it certainly was _not_; so you've got more
friends than you reckoned for, you see."

Lilac stood in the doorway, her bonnet dangling in one hand, her eyes
fixed absently on Joshua's brown fingers.

"I made sure," she said, "as how it was you. I couldn't think as there
was anybody else to mind."

It was getting late. Without looking at the clock she knew that her
holiday would soon be over, because through Joshua's little window there
came a bright sun beam which was never there till after five. She tied
on her bonnet, prepared a choice morsel of chicken for Mrs Wishing, and
set out on her further journey after a short farewell to the cobbler.
Joshua never liked saying goodbye, and did it so gruffly that it might
have sounded sulky to the ear of a stranger, but Lilac knew better. She
had a "goodish step" before her, as she called it to herself, and if she
were to get back to the farm before dusk she must make haste. So she
hurried on, and soon in the distance appeared the two little white
cottages side by side, perched on the edge of the steep down. The one
in which she had lived with her mother was empty, and as she got close
to it and stopped to look over the paling into the small strip of
garden, she felt sorry to see how forlorn and deserted it looked. It
had always been so trim and neat, and its white hearthstone and open
door had invited the passer-by to enter. Now the window shutters were
fastened, the door was locked, the straggling flowers and vegetables
were mixed up with tall weeds and nettles--it was all lifeless and cold.
It was a pity. Mother would not have liked to see it. Lilac pushed
her hand through the palings and managed to pick some sweet-peas which
were trailing themselves helplessly about for want of support, then she
went on to the next gate. Poor Mrs Wishing was very lonely now that
her only neighbour was gone; very few people passed over that way or
came up so far from Danecross. Sometimes when Dan'l had a job on in the
woods he was away for days and she saw no one at all, unless she was
able to get to the cobbler's cottage, and that was seldom. Lilac
knocked gently at the half-open door, and hearing no answer went in.

Mrs Wishing was there, sitting asleep in a chair by the hearth with her
head hanging uncomfortably on one side; her dress was untidy, her hair
rough, and her face white and pinc