He stopped and glanced at the little fur-clad figure as she stood
there, eager anticipation written on her face, and his thoughts went
back to the time when he as a boy looked upon a day's visit to the
neighboring town--nine miles away--as one of his greatest pleasures.

"Yes," he said, slowly fumbling in his waistcoat pocket; "you can get me
some pens and blotting paper at the stationer's. I will write down the
kind I want, and here is the money. Keep the change, and buy anything
you like with it."

Milly's cheeks flushed with delight as she took the money--

"What a lot it will buy!" she said. "Thank you very much indeed. I was
wanting to buy something my own self, and I've only a little cook gave
me, but now I shall be quite rich."

It was late in the afternoon when nurse and her little charge drove
back, and Sir Edward met them coming up the avenue. Milly's face was
clouded, and there were traces of tears on her cheeks, and this was such
an unusual sight that Sir Edward inquired of the nurse what was the
matter.

"She has not been good, sir, I am sorry to say. It isn't often that I
have to pull her up, but she has given me such a fright and trouble this
afternoon as I am not likely to forget in a hurry."

"What has she been doing? But never mind; I will not detain you now. I
can hear about it when we get in."

Nurse was evidently very disturbed in mind, for she poured into Sir
Edward's ear, directly they were inside the hall, a confused story:--

"I was in the grocer's, sir, and I knew I should be there some time; for
cook, she gave me so many commissions I had to write a long list of
them. I said to Miss Milly, 'You can stand outside, but don't go a step
farther.' She knows she is never allowed to speak to such people; I've
known, as I told her, children being carried bodily off and set down at
a street corner with hardly a rag on their backs; and to think of her
marching off with him, and never a thought of my anxiety--and the way I
went rushing up and down the streets--and the policemen--they are
perfectly useless to help a person, but can only stare at you and grin.
I'm sure I never expected to light eyes on her again, and I lost my
purse and my best umbrella; I left them both somewhere, but it was nigh
on two hours I spent, and my shopping not near done, and he the greatest
looking rascal that one might see coming out of jail. I'm sure I
shouldn't have been so angry but to see her smiling face, as if s