f crossed on her breast. Mrs. Church was a little woman; she
had very tiny feet and hands, and was very proud of them. She never
thought of buying any new clothes, and her black bombazine dress was
more brown than black now; so was her shawl, and so was the handkerchief
which she wore round her neck. Her cap was tied with ribbons which had
been washed so often that they were no longer white, but yellow.

She came to the door to greet Tom when he arrived, and called him in.

"Ah, Tom!" she said, "I have got a piece of plumcake waiting for you;
and if you are a really good boy, and will shoo the fowls into my
backyard and shut the gate on them, you may look into my microscope."

"Thank you, Aunt Church," said Tom. "Shall I go at once and shoo the
fowls?"

"You had best give me my money first. Here is the box; you drop it in:
two pounds in gold--I hope to goodness your mother has sent the money in
gold--two pounds in gold and the rest in silver. Now then, here is the
box. Drop it in like a good child, and then you shall shoo the fowls,
and have your plumcake, and look in the microscope."

"But, Aunt Church--" said Tom. He planted himself right in front of the
old lady. He was a tall boy, well set up, with a sandy head, and a face
covered with freckles. He had rather shallow blue eyes and a wide mouth,
but his whole expression was honest and full of fun. "I am desperately
sorry, and so is mother."

"Eh! What?" said the old lady. She put her hand to her ear. "I am a bit
hard of hearing, my dear; come close to me."

"Mother's awfully sorry, but she can't pay you to-day."

"Oh!" said Mrs. Church; "can't pay me to-day! But it's the first of the
month, and she was never behindhand--I will say that--in her payments
before."

"She's fretting past bearing," said Tom. "She'd give all the world to be
able to pay you up, but she ain't got the money, and that's a fact. We
have had a robbery in the shop, Aunt Church, and mother has took on
dreadful."

"A burglary?" said Mrs. Church. "Now tell me all about it. Stand here
and pour your words into my ear. I am very much interested about
burglaries. Was there attempted murder? Speak up, boy--speak up."

Tom quite longed to say that there was. Had he been able to assure Mrs.
Church that burglars with masks on their faces had burst into the shop
at dead of night and penetrated to his mother's bedroom, and had held
pistols to her throat and Susy's throat, and a great bare, glitteri