shirt, lighted only by a small
farthing candle; but she laid down her task for a minute, and raised
her thin pale face, and her eyes half blinded with tears and hard work.

'Where have you been all day, little Meg?' she asked.

'Me and the children have been at Mrs Blossom's, answered Meg, 'because
it's Christmas Day: and I wish you'd been there as well, Kitty. We'd
such a good dinner and tea. She gave me a bit of cake to bring home,
and you shall have some of it.'

'No, no,' said Kitty, 'it 'ud choke me.'

'Oh, it couldn't; it's as nice as nice can be,' said Meg. 'You must
just have a taste of it.'

'Did you go talking about that Posy again?' asked Kitty, bending
diligently over her work.

'We always talk about her,' answered Meg, 'every day. Mrs Blossom's
watching for her to go by all day long, you know.'

'She'll never go by,' said Kitty shortly.

'Oh, she's certain sure to go by some day,' cried Meg. 'Mrs Blossom
asks God to let her go by, every day of her life; and He's positive to
do it.'

'If she's grown up so wicked,' argued Kitty, 'she didn't ought to go
back to her mother, and her such a good woman. God won't send her back
to her mother, you'll see.'

'But if God sent her back, her mother 'ud never think of her being
wicked, she loves her so,' said little Meg. 'If Robbie were ever so
naughty, I'd keep on loving him till he was good again.'

'Well, Posy'll never go home no more,' said Kitty; and hot tears fell
fast upon her work.

'She will, she will,' cried Meg. 'I expect her every day, like father.
Perhaps they'll both come home to-morrow. I wish you'd ask God to let
Posy and father come home to-morrow.'

'I'm too bad to ask God for anything,' sobbed Kitty.

'Well, I don't know,' said Meg sorrowfully. 'You're not bad to me or
the children. But I must go to bed now. Let us kiss you afore we go.
Mrs Blossom kissed me twice, and said I was a comfort to her.'

Kitty threw down her work, and clasped Meg strongly in her arms,
pressing down Meg's head upon her breast, and crying, 'Oh, my dear
little Meg! My good little Meg!' Then she put them all three gently
out of her room, and bade them good-night and God bless them, in a
husky and tremulous voice.

CHAPTER XI

Little Meg's Baby

The new year came, but Meg's father had not arrived. Kitty was having
a mad outburst, as if she had so long controlled herself that now it
was necessary to break out into extra wickedness. Sh