g before she reached the door. Not that it was loud
like the voices of this dreadful household; but the tone was sufficiently
peculiar to be recognised anywhere. With a most penetrating clearness,
it came through the long passages, words inaudible, only the sound of a
voice, rapid, breathless, decided--with the distant sound of Fred's long,
shambling, uncertain footsteps coming in as the strange accompaniment.
Then they entered the room--the one tiny, bright, dauntless, an intrepid,
undiscourageable little soul; the other with his heavy large limbs, his
bemused face, his air of hopeless failure, idleness, content. Edward
Rider gazed involuntarily from one to another of this two. He saw the
sprite place herself between the husband and wife, a vain little Quixote,
balancing these extremes of helplessness and ruin. He could not help
looking at her with a certain unconscious admiration and amazement, as
he might have looked at a forlorn hope. Thousands of miles away from her
friends, wherever and whatever they might be, with Fred and his wife and
children on her hands, a household of incapables--what was that little
creature to do?

"Good morning, Dr Edward," said Nettie. "I thought I should have been
back sooner; but Fred is so slow, I cannot manage to get him along at
all. We have found some lodgings a little way out of Carlingford, near
that chapel, you know, or church, or something, that stands a little
off the road: where it's open, and there's morning service, and such a
handsome young clergyman. Who is he? We went into the chapel, and it's
so fine, you would not believe it. Well, just a hundred yards from there
is the house. Four rooms, exactly what I wanted, with a garden for the
children to play in--quite quiet, and fresh and pleasant. Tell me who
the people are--their name is Smith. If they're respectable, I'll go
back and take it. I can afford the rent."

"Near St Roque's? They belong to the church there. I daresay they are
all right," said the doctor, "but it is a long way off, and inconvenient,
and----"

"That is just why I want it," said Nettie. "We never were used to
conveniences, and none of us want to be much in the town, so far as I
know. It is the very thing. Why has not lunch come up?--what do these
people mean, Susan, by not attending to their orders? Ring the bell,
Freddy--ring loud; and after lunch, as your drag is at the door, Dr
Edward, you'll drive me down to this place again, that I may secure