was met face to face by Mr Abel Bones.

"Why, father!" she exclaimed, running to her sire with a look of joyful
surprise, for occasional bad treatment had failed to dry up the
bottomless well of love in her little heart.

"Hush! Tottie; there--take my hand, an' don't kick up such a row. You
needn't look so scared at seein' me here. I'm fond o' the country, you
know, an' I've come out to 'ave a little walk and a little talk with
you.--Who was that you was talkin' with just now?"

Tottie told him.

"Stoppin' here, I s'pose?"

"Yes. He's bin here for some time, but goes away soon--now that he's
better. It was him as saved my life--at least him and Mr Aspel, you
know."

"No, I don't know, Tot. Let's hear all about it," replied Mr Bones,
with a look of unwonted gravity.

Tottie went off at once into a glowing account of the fire and the
rescue, to which her father listened with profound attention, not
unmingled with surprise. Then he reverted to the aspect of the
surrounding country.

"It's a pretty place you live in here, Tot, an' a nice house. It's
there the lady lives, I suppose who has the strange fancy to keep her
wealth in a box on the sideboard? Well, it _is_ curious, but there's no
accountin' for the fancies o' the rich, Tot. An' you say she keeps no
men-servants about her? Well, that's wise, for men are dangerous
characters for women to 'ave about 'em. She's quite right. There's a
dear little dog too, she keeps, I'm told. Is that the only one she
owns?"

"Yes, it's the only one, and such a darlin' it is, and _so_ fond of me!"
exclaimed Tottie.

"Ah, yes, wery small, but wery noisy an' vicious," remarked Mr Bones,
with a sudden scowl, which fortunately his daughter did not see.

"O no, father; little Floppart ain't vicious, though it _is_ awful noisy
w'en it chooses."

"Well, Tot, I'd give a good deal to see that dear little Floppart, and
make friends with it. D'you think you could manage to get it to follow
you here?"

"Oh, easily. I'll run an' fetch it; but p'r'aps you had better come to
the house. I know they'd like to see you, for they're _so_ kind to me."

Mr Bones laughed sarcastically, and expressed his belief that they
wouldn't like to see him at all.

Just at that moment Miss Stivergill came round the turn of the lane and
confronted them.

"Well, little Bones, whom have you here?" asked the lady, with a stern
look at Mr Bones.

"Please, ma'am, it's father. He 'appen