ard nor one whit abashed
upon his entree into a sphere so entirely new to him as a well-ordered,
handsomely furnished house. Once inside the parlor, Jud had lost courage
and stood fumbling his ragged cap, but Nib had bounced forward, in the
best of good spirits, barking in friendly recognition of Miss Barholm's
greeting caress, and licking her hand. Through Nib, Anice contrived
to inveigle Jud into conversation and make him forget his overwhelming
confusion. Catching her first glimpse of the lad as he stood upon the
threshold with his dubious garments and his abashed air, she was
not quite decided what she was to do with him. But Nib came to her
assistance. He forced himself upon her attention and gave her something
to say, and her manner of receiving him was such, that in a few minutes
she found Jud sidling toward her, as she half knelt on the hearth
patting his favorite's rough back. Jud looked down at her, and she
looked up at Jud.

"Have you taught him to do anything?" she asked. "Does he know any
tricks?"

"He'll kill more rats i' ten minutes than ony dog i' Riggan. He's th'
best tarrier fur rats as tha ivver seed. He's th' best tarrier for _owt_
as tha ivver seed. Theer is nowt as he canna do. He con feight ony dog
as theer is fro' heer to Marfort." And he glowed in all the pride of
possession, and stooped down to pat Nib himself.

He was quite communicative after this. He was a shrewd little fellow and
had not spent his ten years in the mining districts for nothing. He
was thoroughly conversant with the ways of the people his young hostess
wished to hear about. He had worked in the pits a little, and he had
tramped about the country with Nib at his heels a great deal. He was
supposed to live with his father and grandmother, but he was left
entirely to himself, unless when he was put to a chance job. He knew
Joan Lowrie and pronounced her a "brave un;" he knew and reverenced "Owd
Sammy Craddock;" he knew Joan's father and evidently regarded him with
distrust; in fact there was not a man, woman or child in the place of
whom he did not know something.

Mr. Barholm happening to enter the room during the interview, found his
daughter seated on a low seat with Nib's head on her knee, and Jud a few
feet from her. She was so intent on the task of entertaining her guest
that she did not hear her father's entrance, and the Reverend Harold
left the three together, himself in rather a bewildered frame of mind.

"Do you