ile your unworthy father toasts
the bacon, we shall be ready immediate. It's a curious circumstance,"
said Trotty, proceeding in his cookery, with the assistance of the
toasting-fork, "curious, but well known to my friends, that I never
care, myself, for rashers, nor for tea. I like to see other people enjoy
'em," said Trotty, speaking very loud to impress the fact upon his
guest, "but to me, as food, they are disagreeable."

Yet Trotty sniffed the savor of the hissing bacon--ah!--as if he liked
it; and when he poured the boiling water in the tea-pot, looked lovingly
down into the depths of that snug caldron, and suffering the fragrant
steam to curl about his nose, and wreathe his head and face in a thick
cloud. However, for all this, he neither ate nor drank, except at the
very beginning, a mere morsel for form's sake, which he appeared to eat
with infinite relish, but declared was perfectly uninteresting to him.

"Now, I'll tell you what," said Trotty after tea. "The little one, she
sleeps with Meg, I know."

"With good Meg!" cried the child, caressing her. "With Meg."

"That's right," said Trotty. "And I shouldn't wonder if she'll kiss
Meg's father, won't she? _I_'m Meg's father."

Mightily delighted Trotty was, when the child went timidly toward him,
and having kissed him, fell back upon Meg again.

Meg looked toward their guest, who leaned upon her chair, and with his
face turned from her, fondled the child's head, half hidden in her lap.

"To be sure," said Toby. "To be sure! I don't know what I am rambling on
about, to-night. My wits are wool-gathering, I think. Will Fern, you
come along with me. You're tired to death, and broken down for want of
rest. You come along with me."

The hand released from the child's hair, had fallen, trembling, into
Trotty's hand. So Trotty, talking without intermission, led him out as
tenderly and easily as if he had been a child himself.

Returning before Meg, he listened for an instant at the door of her
little chamber; an adjoining room. The child was murmuring a simple
Prayer before lying down to sleep; and when she had remembered Meg's
name, "Dearly, Dearly"--so her words ran--Trotty heard her stop and ask
for his.

It was some short time before the foolish little old fellow could
compose himself to mend the fire, and draw his chair to the warm hearth.
But when he had done so, and had trimmed the light, he took his
newspaper from his pocket and began to read. Careles