o me?'

Nurse was only in the next field, so was easily fetched, and though
demurring somewhat at first, was soon reassured by Mr. Russell, who
promised to keep her only about an hour.

'I will see she returns to you safely, my good woman; and when you find
that she has come to no harm, perhaps you will allow her to come again.
I want to make a little sketch of her, for a subject I have in view.'

And it was settled that Betty should go to him the next day at two
o'clock.

'I don't quite like it,' said nurse afterwards, when talking it over
with Mrs. Giles; 'but he seemed rather a high-handed gentleman, as if
he wouldn't take no. I don't know whether the mistress would like it,
most children would be shy of it, but none of these seem to know what
shyness is; and Miss Betty seems to make friends wherever she goes. I
can't understand it; Miss Molly, to my eyes, is much the most taking!'

'Mr. Russell is our landlord,' responded Mrs. Giles; 'he's a proper
sort o' gentleman, and he won't hurt the child by a-paintin' of her.
He lives all alone since his little girl died, and maybe she'll cheer
him up; he's very downhearted, folks say.'

'Why should you go and not us?' said Molly, when Betty ran off to tell
them all about it; 'it's too bad; you're getting all the nice things,
and I'm the eldest.'

'I don't expect you'll like it,' said Douglas, rolling over on the
grass and tickling Bobby's bare legs with a bunch of grass; 'I know the
man, and he has an awful temper! Sam told me he thrashed a boy who was
taking a bird's nest out of his orchard; and he has a large glass room
with skeletons and bits of people's bodies lying all about. I think he
likes to get children in there, and then he keeps them prisoners, and
never lets them out again.'

Betty stood still, eyeing her brother doubtfully.

'I don't believe it.'

'You wait till he gets you there! He has dead men's legs and hands.
Sam says he's seen them through the window! He's a Bluebeard; he
always keeps the room locked, and doesn't let any one in. And if he
takes you in there to-morrow afternoon, you'll never come out again!'

'And then I shall have Prince, and take him back to London for my dog,'
put in Molly.

'Prince is coming with me,' Betty retorted; 'so if I never come back
again, Prince won't! And I don't care if we don't come back. I'd
rather live with Mr. Russell than with you when you are cross.'

'He'll fatten you up with porridge for a w