prise he assented, even confessed that he had already ordered
the carriage. He had never to her knowledge done such a thing before,
and little as she knew of real illness, nothing as she knew of danger
and death, she felt a sharp pain at her heart as she watched him driving
away. The pain, however, was but momentary, lost in the pressing
interests of other thoughts. Before eleven o'clock she had started off
to see Mrs. Home.

Now it was by no means her intention to go to this newly found relation
empty handed. Mrs. Home might or might not be willing to receive a gift
of money, but Charlotte hoped so to be able to convey it to her as to
save her pride from being too greatly hurt.

Charlotte had a small banking account of her own. She drove now straight
to her bank in the city, and drawing fifty pounds in one note slipped it
into her purse. From the bank she went to a children's West End shop.
She there chose a lovely velvet frock for the fair-haired little Daisy,
two embroidered white dresses for the baby; and going a little farther
she bought a smart tailor suit for the eldest boy. After buying the
pretty clothes she visited a toy shop, where she loaded herself with
toys; then a cake shop to purchase cakes and other goodies; and having
at last exhausted her resources; she desired the coachman to drive to
Mrs. Home's address in Kentish Town. She arrived, after a drive of a
little over half an hour, to find the lady whom she had come to seek,
out. The dirty little maid stared with full round eyes at the beautiful
young lady and at the handsome carriage, and declared she did not know
when her missis would be in.

For a moment Charlotte felt foiled; but she was excited now--she could
not go away, laden as she was with fairy gifts, without making some
effort to dispense these blessings.

"I am a relation of Mrs. Home's and I want to see the children. Are the
children in?" she asked of the little maid.

Rounder and rounder grew that small domestic's eyes.

"They can't be hout without me," she volunteered; "ain't I the nuss and
maid-of-all work? Yes, the children is hin."

Then she opened the dining-room door, and Charlotte, first flying to the
carriage and returning laden with brown paper parcels, followed her into
the little parlor.

The maid, on the swift wings of excitement, flew upstairs. There was the
quick patter of eager little feet, and in a very few moments the door
was pushed open and a boy and girl entered