t before the child's
appearance, she seemed to have sunk into something of a doze on her
chair, for, as the door opened, she started and looked about her in
doubt.

"Where have you been so long?" she asked impatiently.

"I got back as quickly as I could, mother," said Ida, in some surprise.

"Got back? Is school over?"

"From the--the place you sent me to, mother."

"What am I thinking of!" exclaimed Lotty, starting to consciousness.
"Come here, and tell me. Did you see--see him, Ida? Mr. Woodstock, you
know."

"Yes, mother," began the child, with pale face, "and he--he said I was
to tell you--"

She burst into tears, and flew to her mother's neck.

"Oh, you won't send me away from you, mother dear? I can't go away from
you!"

Lotty felt she knew what this meant. Fear and trouble wrought with her
physical weakness to drive her almost distracted. She sprang up, caught
the child by the shoulders, and shook her as if in anger.

"Tell me, can't you?" she cried, straining her weak voice. "What did he
say? Don't be a little fool! Can't the child speak?"

She fell back again, seized with a cough which choked her. Ida stayed
her sobbing, and looked on in terror. Her mother motioned constantly to
her to proceed.

"The gentleman said," Ida continued, with calm which was the result of
extreme self-control, "that he would take me; but that you were never
to see me again."

"Did he say anything else about me?" whispered Lotty.

"No, nothing else."

"Go--go and tell him you'll come,--you'll leave me."

Ida stood in anguish, speechless and motionless. All at once her mother
seemed to forget what she was saying, and sat still, staring into the
fire. Several times she shivered. Her hands lay listlessly on her lap;
she breathed with difficulty.

Shortly afterwards, the landlady came into the room. She was alarmed at
Lotty's condition. Her attempts to arouse the sick woman to
consciousness were only partly successful. She went downstairs again,
and returned with another woman, a lodger in the house. These two
talked together in low tones. The result of their colloquy was that
Mrs. Ledward dressed Lotty as well as she could, whilst the other left
the house and returned with a cab.

"We're going to take your mother to the hospital," said Mrs. Ledward to
the child. "You wait here till we come back, there's a good girl. Now,
hold up a bit, Lotty; try and walk downstairs. That's better, my girl."

Ida was left alone.