y do better even than in the
shop. There, you've comforted me, my boy--you are a real out-and-out
comfort to me, David."

"I am glad of that," said the young fellow. "There's no one like you
to me--no one."

He kissed her withered cheek, which was scarcely like an apple this
morning, being very pale and weary.

"Grannie," he said, "is it true that Ally is going to marry Jim Hardy?"

"It's true that Jim Hardy wants her to marry him," replied Grannie.

"I wonder if he does?" replied David, in a thoughtful voice. "They say
that Clay's daughter is mad for Jim, and she'll have a tidy sight of
money."

"She may be as mad as she pleases, but she won't get Jim. Now, do
hurry on with the breakfast. What a lad you are for chattering!"

Poor David, who had certainly been induced to chatter by Grannie
herself, made no response, but rose and set about his work as
kitchen-maid and cook with much deftness. He stirred the oatmeal into
the pot of boiling water, made the porridge, set the huge smoking dish
on the center of the table, put the children's mugs round, laid a
trencher of brown bread and a tiny morsel of butter on the board, and
then, having seen that Grannie's teapot held an extra pinch of tea, he
poured boiling water on it, and announced the meal as ready. The
younger children now came trooping in, neat and tidy and ready for
school. Grannie had trained her little family to be very orderly. As
the children entered the room they came up to her one by one, and
bestowed a kiss on her old lips. Her salutation to them was always
simple and always the same: "Bless you, Polly; bless you, Susie; bless
you, Kitty." But immediately after the blessing came sharp, quick
words.

"Now, no dawdling; set down and be quick about it--sup up your porridge
without letting a drop of it get on your clean pinafores, or I'll smack
you."

Grannie never did smack the children, so this last remark of hers had
long fallen flat. Alison came in almost immediately after the
children, and then, after a longer interval, Harry, looking red and
sleepy, took his place by the table. Harry was undoubtedly the black
sheep of the family. Both Alison and David bestowed on him one or two
anxious glances, but Grannie was too absorbed in some other thought to
take much notice of him this morning. Immediately after breakfast the
children knelt down, and Grannie repeated the Lord's Prayer aloud.
Then came a great scampering and rushing about.