the big horse--and Nurse Eden, poor nurse
shall come to you, my own.'

To which Michael responded, holding out a plump leg and foot for
admiration. 'I can do mine own socks and bootses now, and wash mine own
hands and face.'

Nevertheless, he was quite sleepy enough to be very happy and content to
be carried off to his mother's bedroom, where he sat enthroned on her
lap, Constance feeding him with bread and milk, while Amice held the
bowl, and the maid, almost equally blissful, hovered round, and there
again he sat with the two admiring girls one at each foot, disrobing him,
as best they might.

Nearly asleep at last, he knelt at his mother's knee with the murmured
prayer, but woke just enough to say, 'Mite needn't say "make papa
better," nor "bring Mite home."'

'No, indeed, my boy. Say Thank God for all His mercy.'

He repeated it and added of himself, 'Bless nursey, and let Tommy and Fan
have papas and mammas again. Amen.'

He was nodding again by that time, but he held his mother's hand fast
with 'Don't go, Mam!' Nor did she. She had asked no questions. To be
alone with her boy and Him, whom she thanked with her whole soul, was
enough for her at present.

CHAPTER XLI
THE CANADIAN NORTHMOOR

It was not till Lord Northmoor began to answer in detail the questions
that were showered on him as he ate his late dinner, that he fully
realised the history of his recovered son even to himself. 'Liverpool
Workhouse,' and 'all owing to Herbert,' were his first replies, and he
had eaten his soup before Adela and Constance had discovered the
connection between the two; nay, they were still more bewildered when
Constance asked, 'Then Herbert found him there?'

'Herbert? Oh no, good fellow. He is in Canada, he went after him
there.'

'To Canada?'

'Yes; that woman, the nursery girl Hall, kidnapped the child, Herbert
followed her there, and found he had been dropped at Liverpool.'

Then on further inquiries, Frank became sensible that he must guard the
secret of Ida's part in the transaction. He hoped to conceal it from
all, except his wife, for it was hardly injustice to the Jones pair in
another hemisphere to let their revenge bear the whole blame. Indeed, he
did not himself know that it was Ida's passion or Rose's mention of
having seen Michael's face that had roused Herbert's suspicion.

He had heard Herbert's account of his adventures in the letter to Rose
with mere impatience to come to wh