ing all strongly alike.

Kit was disposed to be out of temper, but he looked at the youngest child,
and from him to his other brother in the clothes-basket, and from him to
his mother, who had been at work without complaint since morning, and
thought it would be a better and kinder thing to be good-humoured. So he
rocked the cradle with his foot, made a face at the rebel in the
clothes-basket, which put him in high good-humour directly, and stoutly
determined to be talkative, and make himself agreeable.

"Did you tell me just now, that your master hadn't gone out to-night?"
inquired Mrs. Nubbles.

"Yes," said Kit, "worse luck!"

"You should say better luck, I think," returned his mother, "because Miss
Nelly won't have been left alone."

"Ah!" said Kit, "I forgot that. I said worse luck, because I've been
watching ever since eight o'clock, and seen nothing of her. Hark, what's
that?"

"It's only somebody outside."

"It's somebody crossing over here," said Kit, standing up to listen, "and
coming very fast too. He can't have gone out after I left, and the house
caught fire, mother!"

The boy stood for a moment, really bereft, by the apprehension he had
conjured up, of the power to move. The footsteps drew nearer, the door was
opened with a hasty hand, and the child herself, pale and breathless,
hurried into the room.

"Miss Nelly! What is the matter?" cried mother and son together.

"I must not stay a moment," she returned, "grandfather has been taken very
ill. I found him in a fit upon the floor."

"I'll run for a doctor----" said Kit, seizing his brimless hat. "I'll be
there directly, I'll----"

"No, no," cried Nell, "there is one there, you're not wanted,
you--you--must never come near us any more!"

"What!" roared Kit.

"Never again," said the child. "Don't ask me why, for I don't know. Pray
don't ask me why, pray don't be sorry, pray don't be vexed with me! I have
nothing to do with it indeed!

"He complains of you and raves of you," added the child, "I don't know
what you have done, but I hope it's nothing very bad."

"_I_ done!" roared Kit.

"He cries that you're the cause of all his misery," returned the child,
with tearful eyes. "He screamed and called for you; they say you must not
come near him, or he will die. You must not return to us any more. I came
to tell you. I thought it would be better that I should. Oh, Kit, what
_have_ you done? You, in whom I trusted so much, and who were almost