ked out and uttered an exclamation.

"I--I know her," she said, with some agitation. "I'm afraid she's coming
here--to see me!"

He moved to the door at once.

"Oh, but stay! Why do you run away?" she exclaimed.

He glanced at his seedy coat with a grave shyness.

"I'll come back if you're mistaken," he said. "Your swell visitor would
be rather astonished at my appearance; and I'm afraid there isn't time
to get my frock coat out of pawn."

"Don't go!" begged Nell; but he shook his head and left her; and as she
heard his step going slowly up the stone stairs, she glanced at the tea,
and thought pitifully of the meal he was losing; then she stood by the
table and waited, trying to steady the beating of her heart, to assure
herself that she had been mistaken; but presently some one knocked, and,
opening the door, she saw Lady Wolfer standing before her.

Lady Wolfer drew the slight figure to her and kissed her again and
again.

"You wicked girl!" she said, gazing at her with tender reproach. "Aren't
you going to let me come in? Why do you stand and look at me with those
grave eyes of yours, as if you were sorry to see me? Oh, my dear, my
dear!"

"Yes, come in," said Nell, with something like the sigh of resignation.

Lady Wolfer still held her by the arm, and turned her face to the light.
There had been a dash of color in it a moment ago, but it had faded, and
Lady Wolfer's eyes filled with tears as she noticed the thinness and
pallor of the face.

"Nell, Nell! it is wicked of you! I only knew it last night, when we
came back. I thought you were at Shorne Mills still! You wrote from
there--you said nothing about coming to London."

"That was more than two months ago," said Nell, with a grave smile.
"And--and I said nothing because I knew that you--that Lord
Wolfer--would want to--to help us. And there was no need--is none."

"No need!" Lady Wolfer looked round the room, listened for a moment to
the strains of the piano mingling with the squeals of the children in
the house, the yells of those playing in the street, and scented the
various odors floating in at the window. "No need! Oh, Nell! isn't it
wicked to be so stubborn and so proud? And we knew nothing! We thought
that you had enough----"

"So we have," said Nell. "They have been very good to Dick at the works,
and he is earning wages, and there--there was some money left--a
little--but enough."

"Only enough to permit you to live here! In this pris