e food heartened her.

They went down Villiers Street to the safe stretch of the embankment;
and then Pollyooly, her brow knitted in a thoughtful frown, began to
talk of Millicent's plight. The workhouse was so burning a subject
that she could not wait to discuss it at home.

"You can't go to the workhouse; you can't really," she said. "If you
could stay with us for a little while, you might find something to do.
But it's for Mr. Ruffin to say whether you can stay with us. We live
in his chambers, you know. I'm his housekeeper."

"Oh, if I could!" said Millicent wistfully.

"He might let you. He's very kind," said Pollyooly hopefully. "And if
he did, I wonder what kind of a job you could get. What kind of work
can you do?"

"I can do housework," said Millicent eagerly. "I always did our
room--all of it. And I cooked all our meals. Mother went out such a
lot, you know."

"It's something," said Pollyooly soberly. "But I expect you've got a
lot to learn. You see I learnt a lot at Muttle Deeping. Aunt Hannah
had a whole house there--before she lost all her savings in a gold mine
and came to London. And she had everything like the gentry
have--pictures, and plate, and brass candle-sticks--only not so much of
them; and I learnt to clean them all. But I expect you'd learn too
quickly enough."

"I'm sure I'd try," said Millicent.

"Yes. If Mr. Ruffin would let you stay for a week or two, I could
teach you a lot," said Pollyooly hopefully.

For the rest of the way to the Temple they discussed in detail
Millicent's accomplishments. They were few and limited; but to her
willingness to work there were no bounds.

As soon as they reached the Temple they set about getting dinner.
Fortunately Pollyooly had in her larder half a cold chicken; for, as
was his practice, the Honourable John Ruffin had three days before
ordered a cold chicken from the kitchen of the Inner Temple, had made a
pretence of eating some of it at his breakfast, and then had bidden her
never let him see it again. This was one of his ways of making sure
that she and the Lump were properly fed, without weakening her
independence by sapping her belief that she really supported the two of
them.

Accordingly Millicent made an excellent meal; and it restored her
strength and her spirits. She was surprised by the fact that the Lump
had a whole mugful of milk with his dinner, for she was unused to this
lavishness with that luxury in a chil