door where Griselda still stood, and
said: "I thought you would come--I felt sure, lady, you would come; but
do not be afraid, he is asleep now, and may sleep for an hour."

Griselda felt ashamed of the disgust she could not conceal at what she
saw. But the true womanly instinct asserted itself, and pointing to an
open door leading into another garret, she said:

"May I go in there?"

"Yes, it is my room; it is where I put the clothes when I have mended
them. The queen's gauze veil got torn, and I can mend gauze better than
anyone, so Mrs. Betts gave it to me. Mrs. Betts is kind to me." Then
seeing Griselda's puzzled look at the heterogeneous mass of finery
heaped up on a table supported against the wall, as it was minus one
leg, the child explained: "I mend the actresses' dresses. Mrs. Betts is
the wardrobe keeper at the theatre, and she has had pity on me, or--or I
think we should have starved."

"Well," Griselda said, "I have brought you money to buy food, and surely
you want a fire; and where is your bed?"

The child pointed to a mattress in the corner under the sloping angle of
the roof, and said:

"I sleep there most nights, but now he is so bad I watch by him."

Griselda opened her sachet and took from it a crimson silk purse.

"Here are two guineas," she said; "get all you want."

Norah clasped her hands in an ecstasy.

"Oh!" she said, "this is what I have prayed for. God has heard me, and
it is come. My beautiful princess has come. You are my beautiful
princess, and I shall always love you. I will get Brian to buy lots of
things; he will be here after school. Does the gentleman know?"

"Yes, he brought me."

"Then I shall love him, too; you are both good. I shall try and make
father know you brought the money; but he does not understand much now.
Hark! he is calling--he is awake!"

Norah hastened back to her post, and Griselda followed her.

Leslie Travers had been standing by the sick man's bed, and Griselda,
ashamed of her feelings of repulsion and shrinking, took her place by
his side.

Suddenly a flash of intelligence came into those large dark eyes, and
the man started up and gazed at Griselda, repeating:

"Who is she?--who is she?"

"The dear beautiful lady who has brought us all we want. Thank her,
father--thank her!"

"Thank her!" he repeated. "_Who is she?_"

Then an exceeding bitter cry echoed through the rafters of the chamber
as if it would pierce the very roof. And with that