e child and kissing her rosy
face all over; "and she's better than pretty--she's good, good as gold."

"Oh 'top, ma. Let May down, kik! Fire not out yit!"

"That's right, never give in, May. Wot a jolly fireman you'd make!"
cried Fred, still directing all his energies to the cupboard.

"That's a queer sort o' helmet the boy's got on," said Sparks, alluding
to a huge leathern headpiece, of a curious old-fashioned form, which was
rolling about on the boy's head, being much too large for him.

"It was bought for him by my Joe, in an old curiosity shop," said Mary.

"Ha!" replied Sparks. "Well, Missis Dashwood, I'll have to be goin',
though I haven't got no business to attend to--still, a man must keep
movin' about, you know, specially w'en he's had no breakfast, an' han't
got nothin' to buy one."

"That's a sad condition," said Mary, pursing her lips, for she knew the
man.

"It is, missis. You couldn't lend me half-a-crown, could you?"

"No, I couldn't," replied the little woman with decision, while her
cheeks reddened; "moreover, I wouldn't if I could. You ought to be
ashamed of yourself, Mr Sparks; it's a disgrace for a man of your
strength and years to be goin' about borrowing as you're in the habit of
doin'; and you have got the impudence, too, to be running after poor
Martha Reading, but you shall never get her if I can prevent it."

Mr Sparks was much nettled by the first part of Mrs Dashwood's speech.
The last part put him in a towering passion. He started up, but had
the wisdom to restrain himself to some extent.

"Perhaps," he said, between his teeth, "you _can't_ prevent it, missis."

"Perhaps not, but I shall try."

At that moment, Master Fred Crashington chanced to stumble in his
energetic attempts to extinguish the fire in the cupboard, which the
Rosebud assured him, in excited tones, was "not out yit; gittin' wus an'
wus!" In falling, the old-fashioned helmet flew off, and the comb of it
hit Mr Sparks a severe blow on the shin-bone. In the heat of the
moment he dealt Fred a violent slap on the cheek, which sent him
tumbling and howling on the floor. At that moment the door opened and
Joe Dashwood entered.

He had heard the noise before entering, and now stood with a stern frown
on his face as he gazed at his wife and her visitor.

"Did _you_ do that?" he demanded of Sparks, pointing to the little boy.

"He did, Joe," said Mary; "but--"

Joe waited for no more. He seized Mr Sparks