e said, with a sigh of
relief. "I hope it won't be far. Do you think they're sure to cure him,
Meg?"

"If it's to be done, they'll do it," Meg returned, confidently.

At last the poor little fellow was dressed, and Meg, taking him up in
her strong arms, carried him downstairs, Elsie following. They found
Mrs. Donaldson talking rapidly to the man in the shop. Both stopped
short when Meg and Elsie entered, and Mrs. Donaldson beckoned Meg to
follow her into the room behind, where she talked for some minutes in
low tones to the girl, who presently propped Duncan up in a chair, and
called Elsie to hold him there while she went and fetched her hat and
tidied herself up.

Soon after a fly drove up to the door, into which, by Mrs. Donaldson's
directions, Meg carried Duncan, Mrs. Donaldson and Elsie following. The
next minute they drove off, but slowly, on Duncan's account.

As they went along Mrs. Donaldson gave Meg many directions. "You must
say the child is homeless," she said kindly, "and wait till you have
heard what the doctor says. I dare not take him in myself; I cannot
spare the time. If they will not let Effie stay, take her back with you,
and let her go every day to see him. Be sure to tell Andrew to write and
let me know how he gets on."

All these things Meg promised, and Elsie began to think that, after all,
she had thought too badly of the "fairy mother." Perhaps Meg had herself
made up the tale she had told about Lucy Murdoch, and was not to be
trusted. When once they were in the hospital, Elsie had made up her mind
that she would tell the people there the whole truth, and beg them to
write to Mrs. MacDougall. Perhaps she would come to Edinburgh and fetch
them home. That would be the end of all their troubles. How glad she
would be to come to the end of them, even though it meant going back to
the old quiet hum-drum life. After all, Duncan had been really the wiser
when he wanted her to write to their father instead of going to find
him. She wished now she had done it.

While she was thinking of all this the carriage stopped in a busy
street. "Effie and I will go first," Mrs. Donaldson said to Meg. "I will
just speak to the man, and when Effie comes to you, get out and carry
Donald into the hospital."

"You will ask them to let me in, won't you?" Elsie asked, earnestly.

"I will ask, but I don't know whether they will," Mrs. Donaldson
replied, kindly. "Follow me, Effie."

Mrs. Donaldson went quickly do