g when he
comes in, and I'm sure I shan't stand in the way."

"Oh no, please, Mrs. Backhouse!" said Milly, running up to her with a
grave imploring little face. "Don't let Mr. Backhouse beat her; she
didn't mean it, she was only in fun, I'm sure."

"Well, missy, it's very troiblesome fun I'm sure," said Mrs. Backhouse,
patting Milly kindly on the shoulder, for she was a good-natured woman,
and it wasn't her way to be angry long. "I don't know what I'm to give
John for his supper, that I don't. I had nothing in the house but just
those little odds and ends of meat, that I thought would make a nice bit
of broth for supper. And now he'll come in wet and hungry, and there'll
be nothing for him. Well, we must do with something else, I suppose, but
I expect her father'll beat her."

Milly and Olly looked rather awestruck at the idea of a beating from
John Backhouse, that great strong brawny farmer; and Milly, whispering
something quickly to Aunt Emma, slipped out into the garden again. By
this time father and mother had come up, and Becky appeared from the
farmyard, wheeling the baby in a little wooden cart, and radiant with
pleasure at the sight of Aunt Emma, whose godchild she was, so that
Milly's disappearance was not noticed.

She ran down the garden path to the cherry tree, and as, in the various
times they had been together, Becky and Tiza had taught her a good deal
of climbing, she too clambered up into the wet branches, and was soon
sitting close by Tiza, who had turned her cotton pinafore over her head
and wouldn't look at Milly.

"Tiza," said Milly softly, putting her hand on Tiza's lap, "do you feel
very bad?"

No answer.

"We came to take you down to have tea with us," said Milly, "do you
think your mother will let you come?"

"Naw," said Tiza shortly, without moving from behind her pinafore.

It certainly wasn't very easy talking to Tiza. Milly thought she'd
better try something else.

"Tiza," she began timidly, "do your father and mother tell you stories
when it rains?"

"Naw," said Tiza, in a very astonished voice, throwing down her pinafore
to stare at Milly.

"Then what do you do, Tiza, when it rains?"

"Nothing," said Tiza. "We has our dinners and tea, and sometimes Becky
minds the baby and sometimes I do, and father mostly goes to sleep."

"Tiza," said Milly hurriedly, "did you _mean_ pussy to jump into the
saucepan?"

Up went Tiza's pinafore again, and Milly was in dismay because she
t