wrap them in something, and bring
them up."

Tryst's boots and socks removed, Tod rubbed the large, warped feet. While
doing this he whistled, and the little boy crept up-stairs and squatted
in the doorway, to watch and listen. The morning air overcame with its
sweetness the natural odor of that small room, and a bird or two went
flirting past. The small creature came back with the bricks, wrapped in
petticoats of her own, and, placing them against the soles of her
father's feet, she stood gazing at Tod, for all the world like a little
mother dog with puppies.

"You can't go to school to-day, Biddy."

"Is Susie and Billy to go?"

"Yes; there's nothing to be frightened of now. He'll be nearly all right
by evening. But some one shall stay with you."

At this moment Tryst lifted his hand, and the small creature went and
stood beside him, listening to the whispering that emerged from his thick
lips.

"Father says I'm to thank you, please."

"Yes. Have you had your breakfasts?"

The small creature and her smaller brother shook their heads.

"Go down and get them."

Whispering and twisting back, they went, and by the side of the bed Tod
sat down. In Tryst's eyes was that same look of dog-like devotion he had
bent on Derek earlier that morning. Tod stared out of the window and
gave the man's big hand a squeeze. Of what did he think, watching a
lime-tree outside, and the sunlight through its foliage painting bright
the room's newly whitewashed wall, already gray-spotted with damp again;
watching the shadows of the leaves playing in that sunlight? Almost
cruel, that lovely shadow game of outside life so full and joyful, so
careless of man and suffering; too gay almost, too alive! Of what did he
think, watching the chase and dart of shadow on shadow, as of gray
butterflies fluttering swift to the sack of flowers, while beside him on
the bed the big laborer lay? . . .

When Kirsteen and Sheila came to relieve him of that vigil he went
down-stairs. There in the kitchen Biddy was washing up, and Susie and
Billy putting on their boots for school. They stopped to gaze at Tod
feeling in his pockets, for they knew that things sometimes happened
after that. To-day there came out two carrots, some lumps of sugar, some
cord, a bill, a pruning knife, a bit of wax, a bit of chalk, three
flints, a pouch of tobacco, two pipes, a match-box with a single match in
it, a six-pence, a necktie, a stick of chocolate, a toma