tell me what that dear little peep-hole window up in the wall is
for? I would so like to look through it.'

Alie's face grew red again; she really felt ashamed of Biddy.

'And it's worse,' she said to herself, 'to be so forward to people who
are not quite the same as us, though I'm sure Mrs. Fairchild is as nice
as any lady.'

And Mrs. Fairchild confirmed this feeling of Alie's by coming again to
the rescue.

'Certainly, my dear,' she said, smiling. 'You shall look through the
window from the other side. There's pretty sure to be a chair in front
of it, if you are not tall enough. My little girl is very fond of
looking through that funny window.'

She led the way through another door--a door facing the street
entrance--into a very small passage, whence a narrow staircase ran up to
the first floor. The children could scarcely see where they were, for
the passage was dark, till Mrs. Fairchild opened another door leading
into the parlour, and even then it was not very light, for the parlour
window, as I think I said before, looked on to a little yard, and there
were the walls of other houses round this yard.

It was a very neat, but to the children's eyes a rather dreary-looking
little room.

Biddy turned to Celestina.

'I think I like droind-rooms better than parlours,' she said, returning
to their conversation in the street, 'except for the sweet little
window,' and in another instant she had mounted the chair and was
peering through. 'Oh, it _is_ nice,' she said. 'I can see Roughie'--for
Rough, had considered it more manly to stay in the shop--'and Mr.--your
papa, Celestina. It's like a magic-lantern; no, I mean a peep-show. I
wish we had one in our house. Alie, do look.'

[Illustration: 'It's like a magic-lantern; no, I mean a peep-show.'
P. 89.]

Rosalys came forward, not so eager to take advantage of Biddy's obliging
offer as to seize the chance of giving her a little private admonition.

'Biddy,' she whispered, 'I'm ashamed of you. I never knew you so free
and rude before.'

Bridget descended dolefully from the chair.

'I'm very sorry,' she said; 'please, ma'am,' and she turned to Mrs.
Fairchild, 'I didn't mean to be free and rude.'

The babyishness of her round fat face, and her brown eyes looking quite
ready to cry, touched Mrs. Fairchild, though it is fair to add that she
approved of Alie's checking the child. She would have been perfectly
shocked if Celestina even when younger than Biddy had be