been
enrolled as members, the few who appeared with their pennies were
notoriously riff-raff. At eight Miss Ailie disconsolately sent Tommy
home, but he was back in five minutes.

"There's a mask of them," he told her, excitedly, "hanging about, but
feared to come in because the others would see them. They're ashamed to
have it kent that they belong to a charity society, and Meggy Robbie is
wandering round the Dovecot wi' her penny wrapped in a paper, and Watty
Rattray and Ronny-On is walking up and down the brae pretending they
dinna ken one another, and auld Connacher's Jeanie Ann says she has been
four times round the town waiting for Kitty Elshioner to go away, and
there's a one-leggit man hodding in the ditch, and Tibbie Birse is out
wi' a lantern counting them."

Miss Ailie did not know what to do. "Here's Jeanie Ann's penny," Tommy
continued, opening his hand, "and this is three bawbees frae Kitty
Elshioner and you and me is no to tell a soul they've joined."

A furtive tapping was heard at the door. It was Ronny-On, who had
skulked forward with twopence, but Gavinia answered his knock, so he
just said, "Ay, Gavinia, it's yoursel'. Well, I'll be stepping," and
would have retired had not Miss Ailie caught him. Even then he said,
"Three bawbees is to you to lay by, and one bawbee to Gavinia no to
tell."

To next Monday evening Miss Ailie now looked with apprehension, but
Tommy lay awake that night until, to use a favorite crow of his, he
"found a way." He borrowed the school-mistress's blue-and-red pencil and
sought the houses of the sensitive poor with the following effect. One
sample will suffice; take him at the door of Meggy Robbie in the West
Muir, which he flung open with the effrontery of a tax-collector.

"You're a three P," he said, with a wave of his pencil.

"I'm no sic thing!" cried the old lady.

"It winna do, woman," Tommy said sternly. "Miss Ailie telled me you paid
in your first penny on the chap of ten." He wetted the pencil on his
tongue to show that it was vain to trifle with him, and Meggy bowed her
head.

"It'll be through the town that I've joined," she moaned, but Tommy
explained that he was there to save her.

"I'm willing to come to your house," he said, "and collect the money
every week, and not a soul will I tell except the committee."

"Kitty Elshioner would see you coming," said Meggy.

"No, no, I'll creep yont the hedge and climb the hen-house."

"But it would be a' fou