very glad to see
her as often as her worthy protectors will allow her to come," said Miss
Pemberton.

"I trust that it will be found that I am right in my opinion of the
sweet little girl," said Miss Mary, nodding her head and smiling. "I
can always judge best of people by their voices, and I detected in her's
that true tone which can only proceed from a true heart."

"Well, well, we shall see, and I hope that my opinion will agree with
your's, Mary," observed Miss Pemberton.

Next morning Mistress Halliburt arrived with Maiden May. The little
girl was scrupulously clean and neatly dressed, though her garments were
befitting a fisherman's daughter of plain and somewhat coarse materials,
except that she wore the unusual addition of shoes and stockings.

"I have brought our little maiden to you, ladies, as you desired, and if
you will please to tell me how long you wish to keep her, I will send my
Jacob up to fetch her away at the proper time," said the dame as she
entered the hall into which the Miss Pemberton's had come out to meet
their young guest.

Miss Pemberton scanned her narrowly with her keen grey eyes before
replying.

"Good morning, my dear," said Miss Mary, "come and shake hands."

May ran forward and placed her hand trustfully in that of the blind
lady. "May I lead you about the garden as I did yesterday, Miss Mary,"
she asked, "and tell you of the birds, and butterflies, and flowers I
see? I shall like it so much." Miss Mary smiled and nodded her consent
to the proposal. "Thank you, thank you," exclaimed Maiden May. "You
need not send for the child till the evening, Mrs Halliburt," said Miss
Jane, who had been watching May. "We shall not grow tired of her I
think, and she, I hope, will be happy here."

The dame went away in the hopes that Maiden May had made a favourable
impression on the ladies. "The elder is a little stiff and won't win
the child's heart like the blind lady; but she is kind and may be thinks
more than her sister," she said to herself. "She won't spoil the child
or set her up too much--that's a good thing, or maybe she might not like
coming back to us and putting up with our ways, and that would vex Adam
sorely."

The little girl spent a very happy day with the kind ladies. She led
Miss Mary as she had proposed about the garden, and was as entertaining
to the blind lady as on the previous day, while she gained a
considerable amount of information tending to expand he