girl's innocence, was yet much puzzled how to advise her or what to do
with her. Sue, being thoroughly drilled and frightened into such a
course by Pickles, had declared that nothing would induce her to go
home; for that if she did she would certainly be taken to prison, and
found guilty of a crime of which she was quite innocent. Mrs. Price,
too, felt that she could not counsel Sue to go back, though the agony of
the poor girl, when she thought of Giles waiting and longing for her,
was sad to witness.

To comfort her a little, Pickles went to see Giles, being warned by Sue
on no account to tell him the truth, which would, she said, absolutely
and at once break his heart.

Pickles, winking profoundly, told her to leave it to him. He went, and
Giles himself supplied him with an idea on which he was not slow to
work. Giles was fully persuaded that Sue was in the country, and might
not return for some days. He seemed more pleased than otherwise that she
should be so employed. Pickles was so delighted with his own success
that he danced a kind of hornpipe all the way home.

He found Sue by herself and very disconsolate, for Mrs. Price had gone
out on some errands.

The first thing he did was to go up to her and give her two very fierce
salutes, one on her brow, the other on the point of her chin.

"There, now," he said; "that 'ere little tender brother sent yer them."

"Oh Pickles! how is he? Is he wery cut up?" asked poor Cinderella,
raising a tearful face.

"Cut up? Not a bit o' him! Why, he's quite perky; he think as you has
gone to the country."

"Oh Pickles! how hever could he?"

"Well, listen, and I'll tell yer."

Pickles here related his whole interview, not forgetting to reproduce in
full all his own clever speeches, and his intense admiration for Connie.

"I'd do a great deal fur _you_, Cinderella," he said in conclusion; "fur
though ye're as ordinary a woman as I hiver met, yet still yer belongs
to the species, and I has a weakness fur the species; but oh, lor'! ef
it had been that 'ere Connie, why, I'd have a'most spilt my life-blood
fur that hangelic creature."

"Well, yer see, it wor only me," said Sue, not a little piqued.

"Yes, it wor only you. But now, wot do you think of it all?"

"Oh! I'm wery glad and thankful that Giles is wid Connie. He wor halways
fond of Connie, and I'm real pleased as he thinks as I'm gone to the
country--that 'ull satisfy him ef hanythink will, fur he have sech a