l be off
my hands."

It was irresistibly funny to hear this small mite talk like a woman, for
she was very small of her age; and Alice and Margaret could not help
laughing.

"Well, but thou knowest thou canst not do a many things that must be
done. Who takes care of you all? I dare be bound thou does thy best:
but somebody there must be older than thee. Who is it now?"

"Have you e'er an aunt or a grandmother?" added Margaret.

Cissy looked up quietly into Alice's face.

"God takes care of us," she said. "Father helps when his work's done;
but when he's at work, God has to do it all. There's nobody but God."

Alice and Margaret looked at each other in astonishment.

"Poor little souls!" cried Margaret.

"Oh, but we aren't!" said Cissy, rather more eagerly. "God looks after
us, you know. He's sure to do it right, Father says so."

Alice Mount laid her hand softly on Cissy's head.

"Ay, little maid, God will do it right," she said. "But maybe He'd let
me help too, by nows and thens. Thou knowest the Black Bear at Much
Bentley--corner of lane going down to Thorpe?"

Yes, Cissy knew the Black Bear, as her face showed.

"Well, when thou gets to the Black Bear, count three doors down the
lane, and thou'lt see a sign with a bell. That's where I live. Thee
rap at the door, and my daughter shall go along with you to Thorpe, and
help to carry the meal too. Maybe we can find you a sup of broth or
milk while you rest you a bit."

"Oh, thank you!" said Cissy in her grown-up way. "That will be good.
We'll come."

CHAPTER THREE.

ROSE.

"Poor little souls!" repeated Margaret Thurston, when the children were
out of hearing.

Alice Mount looked back, and saw the small pair still toiling slowly on,
the big jar between them. It would not have been a large jar for her to
carry, but it was large and heavy too for such little things as these.

"However will they get home!" said she. "Nobody to look after them but
`God and Father'!"

The moment she had said it, her heart smote her. Was that not enough?
If the Lord cared for these little ones, did it matter who was against
them? How many unseen angels might there be on that road, watching over
the safety of the children, and of that homely jar of meal for their
sakes? It was not the first time that angels had attended to springs of
water and cakes baken on the coals. No angel would dream of stopping to
think whether such work degraded him. It is