ved one of his boots, and pulling up his trousers
displayed a bandaged leg.

"Well, but we can't see through the bandages, you know," said Mrs
Marrot.

"Let me take them off, father, and I'll replace--"

"Take 'em off!" exclaimed John, pulling down the leg of his trouser and
rising with a laugh. "No, no, Loo; why, it's only just bin done up all
snug by the doctor, who'd kick up a pretty shindy if he found I had
undid it. There's one good will come of it anyhow, I shall have a day
or two in the house with you all; for the doctor said I must give it a
short rest. So, off to bed again, Loo. This is not an hour for a
respectable young woman to be wanderin' about in her night-dress. Away
with you!"

"Was any one else hurt, father?" said Loo. She asked the question
anxiously, but there was a slight flush on her cheek and a peculiar
smile which betrayed some hidden feeling.

"No one else," returned her father. "I tell 'ee it wasn't an accident
at all--it was only a engine that brushed up agin me as I was comin' out
o' the shed. That's all; so I just came home and left Will Garvie to
look after our engine. There, run away."

Loo smiled, nodded and disappeared, followed by Mrs Marrot, who went,
like a sensible woman, to see that her alarmed domestic was all right.
While she was away John went to the crib and kissed the rosy cheek of
his sleeping boy. Then he bent over the bed with the white dimity
curtains to Miss Gertie's forehead, for which purpose he had to remove a
mass of curly hair with his big brown hand.

"Bless you, my darling," he said in silent speech, "you came near bein'
fatherless this night--nearer than you ever was before." He kissed her
again tenderly, and a fervent "thank the Lord!" rose from his heart to
heaven.

In less than half-an-hour after this the engine-driver's family sank
into profound repose, serenaded by the music of a mineral train from the
black country, which rushed laboriously past their dwelling like an
over-weighted thunderbolt.

CHAPTER TWO.

THE DRIVER VISITS A LITTLE ELDERLY GENTLEWOMAN AND PREPARES THE IRON
HORSE FOR ACTION.

Next day John Marrot spent the brief period of repose accorded by the
doctor to his leg in romping about the house with the baby in his arms.
Being a large man, accustomed to much elbow-room and rapid motion, and
the house being small, John may be said to have been a dangerous
character in the family on such occasions. Apart from baby, n