he house. I felt I wanted to be alone, and away
from the constant chatter and laughter of the girls. So I wandered on
farther than I had intended, and found myself at last on the edge of a
wild moor. My thoughts were grave ones, but very happy ones; and as I
gazed over the broad expanse of heather in front of me away into the blue
distance, where the soft fleecy clouds seemed to stoop and kiss the
outlines of purple hills as they swept gently by, I could not help
thanking God with all my heart that He had brought me into my present
surroundings.

Suddenly I was startled by hearing close to me a child's sobs, and after
some minutes' search I came upon a tiny boy crouched amongst the heather,
grasping a bunch of faded harebells in his chubby fist, and crying as if
his heart would break.

As I bent over him, he looked up into my face and sobbed out pitifully,--

'Cally me home, lady; I wants my mother.'

'You poor little mite!' I said. 'What is your name? and where do you
live?'

But as I lifted him up he uttered a sharp cry. 'My foots is hurted; I
tumbled down, and I've losted my boot.'

I saw that this was indeed the case; his little foot was cut and
bleeding, perhaps from coming in contact with some sharp stone, and I was
for a moment at a loss what to do. He seemed about three or four years
old, but a heavily built child, and my heart sank at the prospect of
carrying him. Yet this was the only alternative, and as he seemed to
have very little idea of where he lived, I decided to bring him back with
me to our village, there being no other houses in sight.

He was quite willing to be carried, and wound his fat little arms so
tightly round my neck that I thought he would throttle me. But my
progress was painfully slow; the sun blazed down with fierceness, and
there was no shade on the moor; even the fresh breeze which I had so
enjoyed in coming seemed to have disappeared, and every now and then I
had to stop and rest. The child himself soon dropped asleep in my arms,
and I became so tired myself that I was strongly inclined to leave him
lying on the heather, and send some one to fetch him when I got home. At
last, to my great relief, as I was crossing a field I saw a figure
approaching, and this proved to be Kenneth.

'Halloo!' he said, when he caught sight of me and my burden, 'what on
earth have you got here? You are certainly the most extraordinary young
person that we have had in these parts for a