though few except Cissy understood what she said. She
talked away in a very lively manner, until Dorothy lifted her into the
cart, when the sight of Mr Ewring seemed to exert a paralysing effect
upon her, nor was she reassured at once by his smile.

"Dear heart, but it 'll be a close fit!" said Dorothy. "How be we to
pack ourselves?"

"Cissy must sit betwixt us," answered the miller; "she's not quite so
fat as a sack of flour. Take the little one on your knees, Dorothy; and
Will shall come in front of me, and take his first lesson in driving
Tim."

They settled themselves accordingly, Will being highly delighted at his
promotion.

"Well, I reckon you are not sorry to be forth of that place?" suggested
Mr Ewring.

"Oh, so glad!" said Cissy, under her breath.

"And how hath Will stood out?" was the next question, which produced
profound silence for a few seconds. Then Will broke forth.

"I haven't, Master Ewring--at least, it's Cissy's doing, and she's had
hard work to make me stick. I should have given up ever so many times
if she'd have let me. I didn't think I could stand it much longer, and
it was only last night I told her so, and she begged and prayed me to
hold on."

"That's an honest lad," said Mr Ewring.

"And that's a dear maid," added Dorothy.

"Then Cissy stood out, did she?"

"Cissy! eh, they'd never have got _her_ to kneel down to their ugly
images, not if they'd cut her head off for it. She's just like a stone
wall. Nell did, till Cissy got hold of her and told her not; but she
didn't know what it meant, so I hope it wasn't wicked. You see, she's
so little, and she forgets what is said to her."

"Ay, ay; poor little dear!" said Dorothy. "And what did they to you, my
poor dears, when you wouldn't?"

"Oh, lots of things," said Will. "Beat us sometimes, and shut us in
dark cupboards, and sent us to bed without supper. One night they made
Cissy--"

"Never mind, Will," said Cissy blushing.

"But they'd better know," said Will stoutly. "They made Cissy kneel all
night on the floor of the dormitory, tied to a bed-post. They said if
she wouldn't kneel to the saint, she should kneel without it. And
Sister Mary asked her how she liked saying her prayers to the moon."

"Cruel, hard-hearted wretches!" exclaimed Dorothy.

"Then they used to keep us several hours without anything to eat, and at
the end of it they would hold out something uncommon good, and just when
we were going to