e pleasure the child would
find in this enforced visit to her early home.

"Now hurry away to the Hall and give the message," said Mrs. Kane; "your
tea will keep till you come back. Little Miss Gray will be anxious to
get home to those who are expecting her."

"Oh, please let him take his tea first," cried Hetty; "there will be no
hurry to get me back. I have been very naughty and everyone will be
angry with me. Please, Mr. Kane, take your tea before you go."

John Kane smiled. "Thank you, little maid; but you see the horses are
wanting to go home to their stable. And I'd rather finish all my work
before I sit down."

He went away and Hetty was left alone in the firelight with her first
foster-mother.

"Perhaps you are hungry, little miss," said Anne. "You have had a long
walk, maybe, with your dog."

Scamp had curled himself up on the "settle" at Hetty's feet.

Hetty felt a pang at the words "little miss," but she knew it was her
own pride that had brought this treatment upon her. Perhaps Mrs. Kane
had once loved her as Scamp did now; but of course she would never love
her again. At all events she was dear and good for taking Scamp in
without a word of objection, and allowing him to rest himself
comfortably at her fireside.

"I am _dreadfully_ hungry," said Hetty, in a low ashamed voice, and
looking up at Mrs. Kane with serious eyes. "I have not eaten anything
to-day. I sprained my ankle getting the berries, and they fell so far
away I could not pick them up."

"Not eaten to-day? What,--no breakfast even?"

"No," said Hetty. "I was bad in the morning, or I should have got some.
At least they said I was bad, but I did not feel it."

"What did you do?"

"I took in Scamp in the night when he barked at the window, and I wanted
to keep him, though Mr. Enderby would not have him about the place; and
I fought to get him. And I told Mrs. Enderby that I ought to have him.
And then I took him out of the stable-yard and ran away with him."

"I'm afraid that was badness in the end," said Mrs. Kane. "It began with
goodness, but it ran to badness. Deary me, it's often the same with
myself. I think I'm so right that I can't go wrong. But all comes
straight again when we're sorry for a fault."

"But I can't be sorry for keeping Scamp when he loves me so. Nobody else
loves me," cried Hetty, with a burst of tears.

Mrs. Kane was by her side in a minute. "Not love you! don't they, my
dear? Well, there's somebody that l