only make some complaint," she burst out, "it
wouldn't be so dreadful! Oh, what a shame! what a shame!" she cried, to
the astonishment of little Syd. "Come down, my dear, to the nice warm
room where your brother is. Oh, your mother? I don't care if your mother
sees us; I should like to give your mother a piece of my mind. There! I
don't mean to frighten you; I'm one of your bad children--I fly into a
passion. You carry the dolls and I'll carry _you_. Oh, how she shivers!
Give us a kiss."

Sympathy which expressed itself in this way was new to Syd. Her eyes
opened wide in childish wonder--and suddenly closed again in childish
terror, when her good friend the servant passed Mrs. Westerfield's door
on the way downstairs. "If mamma bounces out on us," she whispered,
"pretend we don't see her." The nice warm room received them in safety.
Under no stress of circumstances had Mrs. Westerfield ever been known
to dress herself in a hurry. A good half-hour more had passed before the
house door was heard to bang--and the pleasant landlady, peeping through
the window, said: "There she goes. Now, we'll enjoy ourselves!"

5.--The Landlord.

Mrs. Westerfield's destination was the public-house in which she had
been once employed as a barmaid. Entering the place without hesitation,
she sent in her card to the landlord. He opened the parlor door himself
and invited her to walk in.

"You wear well," he said, admiring her. "Have you come back here to be
my barmaid again?"

"Do you think I am reduced to that?" she answered.

"Well, my dear, more unlikely things have happened. They tell me you
depend for your income on Lord Le Basque--and his lordship's death was
in the newspapers last week."

"And his lordship's lawyers continue my allowance."

Having smartly set the landlord right in those words, she had not
thought it necessary to add that Lady Le Basque, continuing the
allowance at her husband's request, had also notified that it would
cease if Mrs. Westerfield married again.

"You're a lucky woman," the landlord remarked. "Well, I'm glad to see
you. What will you take to drink?"

"Nothing, thank you. I want to know if you have heard anything lately of
James Bellbridge?"

The landlord was a popular person in his own circle--not accustomed to
restrain himself when he saw his way to a joke. "Here's constancy!" he
said. "She's sweet on James, after having jilted him twelve years ago!"

Mrs. Westerfield replied with dignity.