er bedroom, repentance, even in the
most transient guise, had scarcely come near her. She was too much
oppressed with a sense of injustice done to herself to be sorry about
the feast in the attic. In short, all her time was spent in blaming Aunt
Maria.

Now with the lonely feeling came a great soreness of heart, and an
intense and painful longing for her mother. Those fits of longing which
came to Polly now and then heralded in, as a rule, a tempest of grief.
Wherever she was she would fling herself on the ground, and give way to
most passionate weeping. Her eyes swam in tears now, she trembled
slightly, but controlled herself. On Maggie's account it would never do
for her to give way. The ugly dogs came up and sniffed at her hands, and
smelt her dress. Maggie screamed when they approached her, but Polly
patted their heads. She was not really afraid of them, neither was she
greatly alarmed at the thought of the wife of Micah Jones. What
oppressed her, and brought that feeling of tightness to her throat, and
that smarting weight of tears to her eyes, were the great multitude of
stars in the dark-blue heavens, and the infinite and grand solitude of
the moors which lay around.

The night grew darker; poor Maggie, worn out, crouched down on the
ground; Polly, who had now quite made friends with Cinder, sat by
Maggie's side, and when the poor hungry little girl fell asleep, Polly
let her rest her head in her lap. The dogs and the two children were all
collected in the doorway of the hut, and now Polly could look more
calmly up at the stars, and the tears rolled silently down her cheeks.

It was in this position that, at about a quarter to nine, Dr. Maybright
found her. Some instinct seemed to lead him to Peg-Top Moor--a sudden
recollection brought the hut to his memory, a ringing voice, and gay
laugh came back to him. The laugh was Polly's, the words were hers. "Oh,
if there could be a delightful thing, it would be to live as a hermit in
the hut at the other side of Peg-Top Moor!"

"The child is there," he said to himself. And when this thought came to
him he felt so sure that it was a true and guiding thought that he
whistled for the men who were to help him in the search, and together
they went to the hut.

Cinder and Flinder had got accustomed to Polly, whom they rather liked;
Maggie they barely tolerated; but the firm steps of three strangers
approaching the hut caused them to bristle up, to call all their canine
f