nes. Besides," he
added after a pause, "father's last words were, 'Be kind to mother;' and
she will want it more than he ever dreamed of."

"She will that," Bill agreed; "leastways unless oi be mistaken. And what
be'st going to do now, lad? Be'st agoing whoam?"

"No, I won't go home tonight," Ned replied. "I must think it over
quietly, and it would be worse to bear there than anywhere else. No, I
shall just walk about."

"Thou canst not walk abowt all night, Maister Ned," Bill said
positively; "it bain't to be thowt of. If thou don't mind thou canst
have moi bed and oi can sleep on t' floor."

"No, I couldn't do that," Ned said, "though I do feel awfully tired and
done up; but your brothers would be asking me questions and wondering
why I didn't go home. I could not stand that."

"No, Maister Ned, oi can see that wouldn't do; but if we walk about for
an hour or two, or--no, I know of a better plan. We can get in at t'
window of the school; it bain't never fastened, and bain't been for
years, seeing as thar bain't been neither school nor schoolers since
auld Mother Brown died. Oi will make a shift to light a fire there.
There be shutters, so no one will see the light. Then oi will bring ee
up some blankets from our house, and if there bain't enough Polly will
lend me some when oi tell her who they are for. She bain't a one to
blab. What dost thou say?"

Ned, who felt utterly worn out, assented gladly to the proposal, and an
entrance was easily effected into the desolate cottage formerly used
as a day school. Bill went off at once and soon returned with a load of
firewood; the shutters were then carefully closed, and a fire quickly
blazed brightly on the hearth. Bill then went away again, and in a
quarter of an hour returned with Mary Powlett. He carried a bundle of
rugs and blankets, while she had a kettle in one hand and a large basket
in the other.

"Good evening! Master Sankey," she said as she entered. "Bill has told
me all about it, and I am sorry indeed for you and for your mother. It
is worse for her, poor lady, than for you. You will soon be old enough
to go out into the world if you don't like things at home; but she will
have to bear what trouble comes to her. And now I thought you would like
a cup of tea, so I have brought the kettle and things up. I haven't
had tea yet, and they don't have tea at Bill's; but I like it, though
feyther grumbles sometimes, and says it's too expensive for the likes of
us