nd the (Cream, Willie?
I know you have a sweet tooth, so I don't need to ask if you take
sugar)--yes, he carried her down that dreadful what-d'ye-call-it, and
into the next house with nothing (A little more sugar, Julia? No? )--
nothing on but her what's-'is-name. Oh! it was sad; sad to lose all her
fine things, too--her furniture, and--and thingumies. Do try a piece of
cake, brother."

"I know a worse case than hers," said Willie, with a knowing look.

"Do you?" exclaimed Miss Tippet.

"Oh! do tell it," cried Emma earnestly; "he's just been telling it to
me, and it is _so_ sad and interesting."

"Come, let's hear about it, lad," said Mr Tippet.

Thus encouraged, Willie related his adventure with the clown's family,
and told his tale with such genuine feeling, that Miss Tippet, Loo, and
Emma found their eyes moist when he had concluded.

There was a good deal of comment upon this subject, and Miss Deemas
animadverted very strongly upon actors in general and clowns in
particular. As to ballet-girls, she could not find words to express her
contempt for them; but in reference to this Miss Tippet ventured to
rebuke her friend, and to say that although she could not and would not
defend the position of these unfortunates, yet she felt that they were
very much to be pitied, seeing that they were in many cases trained to
their peculiarly indelicate life by their parents, and had been taught
to regard ballet-dancing as quite a proper and legitimate
what's-its-name. No doubt this was only a palliation of the life they
led, but she thought that if anyone was to be severely blamed in the
matter it was the people who went to witness and encourage such wicked
displays.

Miss Deemas dissented generally from all her friend's observations, and,
wishing to change the subject, asked Loo if her father was coming to
fetch her home.

"No," said Loo; "dear papa is not well to-night, but he is to send the
carriage for me. Oh, I wish," she continued, reverting to the previous
subject, "I _wish_ I could do something for these poor people. I'm so
very, very sorry for the fairy."

"So you can, if you choose," said Miss Deemas sharply.

"No, indeed I cannot," replied Loo in an earnest voice; "I'm too ill and
weak now to be of any use to anyone. Once I was useful to dear papa,
but ever since the fire I have not been of use to anybody; only a
hindrance to them. Since I have been ill I have thought much more about
what I read in