grandfather's face, although her voice was trembling.

"And who are _only you_?"

The child hesitated. In a vague way she felt she would be doing her
mother's and Cyril's great future an injury to tell her name. And yet,
quick-witted as she was, it did not occur to her to find a new one.

The young face in the old black bonnet looked beseechingly into the
man's.

"_Please_ don't ask my name," she begged.

"Take off your bonnet."

She put Baby on the floor at her feet and pulled off her bonnet. And
her dark curly hair fell loosely around her odd white face.

"Now--your name!" shouted the old captain, as if he were calling to a
sailor high up a mast.

"Elizabeth Bruce," faltered the girl, for her reason showed her in a
second how John Brown would give it if she did not.

A certain gleam that had been in the old man's eyes went away and his
brow grew black as thunder. Betty instinctively picked up the baby again
and gathered up the train of her dress.

"Ah!" said the old man, breathing hard.

Then suddenly a light dawned on Betty and she saw things as this old man
would see them, which was the very way of all others that he must not
do.

She repeated swiftly to herself her old charm against fear--"No Bruce is
afraid. I can only die once. He won't eat me."

"It's all my fault," she said, and her brown eyes looked into his brown
ones. "Cyril and I got tried of being poor, and I--I thought it would be
a good plan if you adopted Cyril--and--and I came to frighten you."

"Ah----"

"I thought you were old, and--and--might be sorry now, and I thought a
bit of a fright--I thought if a ghost----"

Her chain clanked and her hands trembled, and Baby bumped up and down in
her arms. The very remembrance of her words left her, for a great frown
was spreading over the old man's face. He turned angrily to the boy.

"Put her out of the door," he said. "Put her out of the place!" and some
hot words, fearful and unintelligible some of them to the small girl,
burst from his lips.

And Betty, Baby and chain and all went out into the darkness. Only the
bonnet remained.

Cyril was on the outermost edge of the grove, and with danger behind
him, and Betty and Baby before his eyes, safe and unhurt, a wave of very
ill-temper swept over him. He refused to have part in any more of
Betty's "silly games," left her to carry the baby unaided, and told her
she had spoilt his chance of ever being adopted. But he was all the time
wis