other favour, such as I could grant?" said Mr
Auberly, with a smile, which was not nearly so grim as it used to be
before "the fire." (The family always talked of the burning of Mr
Auberly's house as "the fire," to the utter repudiation of all other
fires--the great one of monumental fame included.)

Loo meditated some time before replying.

"Oh, yes," she exclaimed suddenly, "I _have_ another favour to ask. How
stupid of me to forget it. I want you very much to go and see a fairy
that lives--"

"A fairy, Loo!" said Mr Auberly, while a shade of anxiety crossed his
face. "You--you are rather weak just now; I must make you be quiet, and
try to sleep, if you talk nonsense, dear."

"It's not nonsense," said Loo, again stretching out the thin hand, which
her father grasped, replaced under the coverings, and held there; "it's
quite true, papa," she continued energetically! "it _is_ a fairy I want
you to go and see--she's a pantomime fairy, and lives somewhere near
London Bridge, and she's been very ill, and is so poor that they say
she's dying for want of good food."

"Who told you about her, Loo?"

"Willie Willders," she replied, "he has been to see her and her father
the clown a good many times."

Mr Auberly, frowned, for the name of Willie Willders did not sound
pleasantly in his ears.

"_Do_ go to see her, pray, dear papa," pleaded Loo with much
earnestness, "and give her some money. You know that darling mamma
said, just before she was taken away," (the poor child persistently
refused to use the expression "when she died"), "she wanted you to take
me sometimes to see poor people when they were sick, and I've often
thought of that since--especially when I have come to the verse in my
Bible which tells me to `consider the poor,' and I have often--oh, so
very often--longed to go, but you were always so busy, dear papa, that
you never had time, you know," (the stiff man winced a little at this)
"but you seem to have more time now, papa, and although I'm too weak to
go with you, I thought I would ask you to go to see this poor fairy, and
tell her I will go to see her some day--if--if God makes me strong
again."

The stiff man winced still more at this, but it was only a momentary
wince, such as a man gives when he gets a sudden and severe twinge of
toothache. It instantly passed away. Still, as in the case of
toothache, it left behind an uneasy impression that there might be
something very sharp and difficu