k, Betty; perhaps it's a big cake.'

'It's alive!' exclaimed nurse, as on her knees she tried to undo the
fastenings. 'Come along, Miss Betty, you shall open it for yourself.'

Betty came near, and with trembling fingers cut the string.

A minute after, and out of the hamper jumped a beautiful little black
and white spaniel.

There were screams of delight from all the children, and great surmises
as to who could have sent it. Betty guessed, but said nothing when she
found a piece of paper tied to a brass collar round his neck, with
these words: 'From a friend, hoping he may prove a true companion.'

She clasped her arms round the dog's neck in ecstasy. 'He is my very,
very own,' she said, looking up at nurse with shining eyes; 'and I'll
have him for ever and ever.'

The little creature sniffed at her face, and then put out his tongue,
and gave her a lick of satisfaction and approval. From that time the
two were all in all to each other.

There was a great deal of discussion about him that morning, and Betty
had to tell of the strange, stern lady who had spoken to her in the
wood.

'I'm sure she sent him,' Betty kept repeating; 'I'm sure she did.'

'It was awfully mean to keep your adventure so secret, said Douglas,
looking at the dog very wistfully; 'she must be a fairy godmother
living in the wood. I wish she would send me something.'

'Perhaps she is a wicked fairy or witch,' suggested Molly, 'who has
turned a prince into a little dog, and we must find a kind of spell to
bring him back to a prince again.'

'That's what I'll call him,' said Betty, looking up; 'I'll call him
Prince.'

Nurse at first demurred at having such an addition to her family, but
Mrs. Giles comforted her with the assurance--'There, let the little
miss enjoy him; she'll soon get tired of him--children always do--and
when you go back to London you can leave him behind with us. He's a
good breed, that we can see; and Jack will be able to sell him if we
don't care about keeping him.'

It was fortunate Betty did not hear this suggestion. Prince was
rapidly filling a void in her little heart of which only she perhaps
had been dimly conscious. She was a child with strong affections and
intense feelings, and a yearning to have some one to love, and to be
loved in return. None of the little Stuarts were demonstrative, and
few guessed how deeply and passionately the bright and mischievous
Betty longed for the sympathy and love that