as wise, and would surely find some way to help her in
her present distress. Perhaps even he would speak to Mother, who
thought a deal of what he said, and that would make her less angry. A
little cheered by these reflections Lilac turned down the lane,
quickened her pace, and made straight for the cobbler's cottage.

It was a very small abode, with such a deep thatch and such tiny windows
that it looked all roof. At right angles there jutted out from it an
extra room, or rather shed, and in this it was possible, by peering
closely through a dingy pane of glass, to make out the dim figure of
Joshua bending over his work. This dark little hole, in which there was
just space enough for Joshua, his boots and tools and leather, had no
door from without, but could only be approached through the kitchen. As
he sat at work he could see the fire and the clock without getting up,
which was very convenient, and he was proud of his work-shed, though in
the winter it was both chilly and dark. Joshua lived quite alone. He
had come to Danecross twenty years ago from the north, bringing with him
a wife, a collection of old books, and a clarionet. The wife, whose
black bonnet still hung behind the kitchen door, had now been dead ten
years, and he had only the books and the clarionet to bear him company.
But these companions kept him from being dull and lonely, and gave him
besides a position of some importance in the village. For by dint of
reading his books many times over, and pondering on them as he sat and
cobbled, he had gained a store of wisdom, or what passed for such, and a
great many long words with which he was fond of impressing the
neighbours. He was also considered a fine reader, and quite a musical
genius; for although he now only played the clarionet in private, there
had been a time, he told them, when he had performed in a gallery as one
of the church choir.

It was now about four o'clock in the afternoon, and he sat earnestly
intent on making a good job of a pair of boots which had been brought to
him to sole. He was also anxious to make the most of the bright spring
sunshine, a stray beam of which had found its way in at his little
window and helped him greatly by its cheerful presence. All at once a
shadow flitted across it, and glancing up he saw a well-known figure run
hurriedly in at the cottage door. "It's White Lilac," he said to
himself with a smile but without ceasing his work, for Lilac was a
f