passing carts, and even an omnibus. If Jimmy had had any
more money he would have got into the omnibus; as he had none he was
compelled to walk on. It was quite late in the afternoon when he entered
Sandham, and he had eaten nothing since the chocolate creams. He was
annoyed to find that a number of children were following him again, and
as he went farther into the town they crowded round in a ring, so that
Jimmy was brought to a standstill.

He felt very uncomfortable standing there, with dozens of children and a
few grown-up persons round him. They cried out to him to 'go on,' and
this was just what Jimmy would have liked to do. He felt so miserable
that he put an arm to his eyes and began to cry, and then the crowd
began to laugh, for they thought he was going to begin to do something
to amuse them at last. But when they saw he did nothing funny as a clown
ought to do, but only kept on crying, they began to jeer at him, and one
boy came near as if he would hit him. Jimmy took down his arm then, and
the two boys, one dressed in rags and the other in the dirty clown's
dress, stood staring at each other with their small fists doubled, when
Jimmy felt some one take hold of his arm, and looking round he saw a
rather tall, dark-haired lady, with a pretty-looking face. Her hand was
on his arm, and her eyes wore a very curious expression, almost as if
she were going to cry also, just to keep Jimmy company.

But from the moment that Jimmy looked at her face he felt that things
would be better with him.

'Come with me, dear,' she whispered, and taking his hand in her own she
led him out of the crowd.

'Where to?' asked Jimmy, wondering why she held his hand so tightly.

'I think the best thing to do will be to put you to bed,' she answered.

'Yes,' said Jimmy, 'I should like to go to bed--to a real bed, you
know--not sacks.'

'You shall go into a real bed,' she answered.

'I think I should like to have something to eat first,' he cried.

'Oh yes, you shall have something to eat,' she said.

If a good many persons had stopped to stare at Jimmy when he was alone,
many more stared now to see a dirty-faced, poor little clown being led
away by a nicely-dressed lady. But the fact was that Jimmy did not care
what they thought. They might stare as much as they liked, and it did
not make any difference. He felt that he was all right at last, although
he did not in the least know who his friend could be. But he felt that
she