k at all for
a minute, then she chose to dally with the evil tidings.

"It's a holiday you are having most like," she said. "I didn't know
they gave 'em at this time of the year, but I'm real glad. I expect
you let Jim Hardy know. He'll be sure to be round bimeby when his
work's over, and you'd like the kitchen to yourselves, wouldn't you?"

"No, Grannie, no," said Alison abruptly. "There's no Jim for me any
more, and there's no work, and--and--I'm in _trouble_--I'm in trouble."

She crossed the room impulsively, went on her knees, swept her two
young arms round Grannie's frail figure, laid her head on the little
woman's sloping shoulder, and burst into tears.

Grannie was wonderfully comforting and consoling. She did not express
the least surprise. She patted Alison on her cheek. She allowed the
girl to grasp her painful right hand and swollen arm without a word of
protest.

"There, lovey, there, cry your heart out," she exclaimed. "You 'a'
lost your situation. Well, you aint the first; you'll soon get
another, dearie, and you'll be a rare bit of comfort to me at home for
a few days. There, set down close to me, darlin', and tell me
everythink. Wot's up, my pretty, wot's wrong?"

"I thought I wouldn't tell you," said Alison, stopping to wipe her
tears away, "but I can't keep it back. They have accused me in the
shop of stealing a five-pound note out of the till. Yes, Grannie, no
wonder you open your eyes. It is true; I am accused of being a thief.
They are all sure that I have done it. A five-pound note is missing;
and you know how Mr. Shaw has sometimes trusted me, and sometimes, when
he has been very busy, he has allowed me to go to the desk and open the
till and take out change. Well, that was what happened to-day. A
customer came in and asked Mr. Shaw to change a five-pound note for
him, and Mr. Shaw went to the till to get the change, and then he shut
it up, but he left the key in the lock, meaning to get back to his
place at the desk in a minute; but business kept him, and I was the
very next person to go to the till. I locked it after I had taken out
the change, and gave him the key. He went back in a minute or two to
take out the money to carry to the bank, and the five-pound note was
missing. He asked me out sharp if I had taken it--you know how red I
get when anyone suspects me. I felt myself blushing awfully, and then
the other girls stopped working and the men, even Jim, stared at