ith the others, but when they had been in a few
minutes, her bounding footstep was heard on the stairs, and she entered
with a whole handful of daisies, which she held out triumphantly to Mr.
Smith.

"There!" she cried, "there are flowers in the town!"

Mr. Smith laughed. "Where did these come from, little one?"

"Out of the churchyard, from off father's grave," said Janet, dropping
her voice.

Mr. Smith took up the flowers and looked at them as if he was trying to
discover how they were made, so intently were his eyes bent upon them.

"Mother says we are like daisies, sometimes," said Janet merrily.

"How?" asked the old man.

The child coloured, and did not answer; but Mrs. Shipton replied for
her,--"Because whenever I am gloomy and unhappy, these children brighten
me and cheer me by looking up to the sun; they always find out a sunny
side to my troubles."

Mr. Smith laid his hand lightly on Janet's head, and said, "I have
learnt many things since I came to London, but I did not know that I
should find country flowers in this large, wicked place."

"We value them more because they are not plenty, and because we have not
many other things," said Mrs. Shipton.

"Ay, ay--well, can town daisies be transplanted, think you?"

Ellen looked wonderingly at the old man, for she saw that his eyes were
fixed on Janet with a meaning smile, but the little girl herself seemed
quite unconscious of it, and answered quickly, "If you have plenty of
flowers in the country, you don't want them."

The strange lodger laughed, but it was a rather sad laugh. "I do want
them," he answered; and then, after pausing for a minute or two, he went
on abruptly, "Mrs. Shipton, I've been a month with you, haven't I?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, I must go home to-morrow; now, I've got something to say to you.
You're not rich, and there's no nonsense about you to pretend you are."

The widow's colour was heightened, but she had grown accustomed to her
lodger's abrupt manner of speaking, so she took no notice of his remark,
and he went on,--

"I'm a lonely old man, and have neither chick nor child to care for me.
I didn't believe anything pure and innocent could be found in this
place; but I've discovered some daisies, and I want to dig up one and
take it back to my home."

"I'll dig up one for you to-morrow," said Janet eagerly; but Mrs.
Shipton saw his meaning, and she became very pale, and looked anxiously
at her child.

"Thank you, my