s very greatly annoyed
Elsie, who tried in vain to make Mrs. Ferguson say where they were. She
pretended not to understand what Elsie meant, though Elsie felt quite
sure all that was feigned.

Their breakfast consisted of some thin watery porridge, without bread,
sugar, or milk.

When their scanty meal was ended, Mrs. Ferguson ordered them to go out
and help Sandy Ferguson, her husband, who was waiting outside for them.
At first Elsie felt disposed to refuse, but on second thoughts, she
obeyed. Sandy Ferguson was on the spot, his wife in the kitchen, with
the cottage door open, their two boys about here, there, and everywhere.

To get away unperceived was out of the question, besides the serious
matter of losing their garments, which Elsie had not yet been able to
discover.

So they had to work away in company with the two ragged urchins. Elsie
was boiling with rage, but she hid it as well as she could; and as for
poor Duncan, he worked away without uttering a word, but with only an
occasional inquiring glance at Elsie, which was infinitely touching.

Elsie soon perceived that there would be no chance of their pursuing
their journey that day. Mrs. Ferguson protested that she was getting
their things dried as fast as she could, and would say nothing more; but
Elsie had a keen misgiving that for some reason or other she did not
mean to let them go.

Was it possible that she knew anything of their mother, and was thinking
to send them back? or did she only mean to keep them there, and make
them work for her family?

At times Elsie felt a terrible fear creeping over her that these
dreadful people meant to steal or hurt her and Duncan. "Perhaps she
wants our clothes," Elsie thought, "for she knows we have no more
pennies!"

So she took the first opportunity she could find to tell Mrs. Ferguson
that they didn't think they could wait any longer for their things to
get dry; they could easily get some more at Killochrie. She said this
with an air of indifference. She would put her jacket on over her stuff
petticoat, and that would do very well. Duncan could wear the cotton
jacket, and leave his tweed one behind.

But all this made no impression on Mrs. Ferguson. She only laughed
grimly to herself; and as their things were not forthcoming, Elsie might
as well have spared her generosity. If she could only have found her
jacket she would have been contented, but this, too, had disappeared,
and even if she had found the