while Mary and Ruth and Norah were generally asked to field, and Dan
looked on and clapped encouragement from the bank where he usually sat
to watch the players.

The little foreign girl was therefore left rather to herself, for a
time, and used to listen to the sounds of merriment which sometimes
reached her from the vicarage garden, as she wandered by herself in the
wood, with rather a wistful look on her little pale face.

If only she had brothers and sisters of her own, Una thought to
herself, how happy she would be! And then she would go back to the
garden to play with "Snoozy," and to wonder how long it would be before
her father came home again.

Then one day he came.

Una heard the sound of wheels as she sat by herself in the little hut
on the lawn, and she ran across the grass and peeped through the laurel
hedge to see who was in the carriage; and when she caught sight of her
father's sad, tired face, and deep-set eyes looking out through the
open window, she gave a great shout of joy and pushed her way through
the hedge, quite forgetting her usual little formal curtsey as she
scrambled into the carriage and up on to her father's knee, as soon as
the coachman had pulled up the horses and Monsieur Gen had opened the
door.

"Why, my little girl, how glad you are to see me again!" he said,
kissing her as she threw her arms round his neck and rubbed her cheek
fondly against his.

"Oh, so glad; so very, very glad!" Una sighed, leaning her head against
his shoulder.

Then she sprang out into the porch, clapping her hands with delight
that she had really got her father back again!

But there was something the matter with her father, Una thought, as she
followed him across the hall to the library. He walked so slowly, and
stopped every now and then as if in pain; and when he sat down in the
big writing-chair by the table he looked so tired and sad--paler even
than usual, the little girl thought, as she looked anxiously into his
face with the big eyes so like her father's own.

"Are you ill, father?" she asked gently.

"Yes, dear, I am afraid I am. I have been worried, Una, very worried,"
he said; as he leant his head rather wearily on his hand; and presently
Una stole away and came back by-and-by, followed by old Marie carrying
a little tray, with nicely scented tea, freshly cut slices of lemon and
crisp dry toast, just as her father liked it to be served.

Monsieur Gen smiled, and tried to eat; but