zement. 'Are you sure they are both for
us, mother?'

'Yes, they are both for us,' said the poor woman; 'both for us, Poppy.'

'Who sent them?' asked the child.

'God sent them, poor little things!' said her mother, looking
sorrowfully at the two little bundles.

'Are they God's presents to me?' asked Poppy.

'Yes, to you and to me, Poppy,' said her mother; 'there's nobody else
to look after them.'

'Ay, you'll have your work set now, Poppy,' said old Mrs. Trundle.

But Poppy did not think of the work just then. Two dear little babies!
And for her own! She was very very happy. She could scarcely eat any
dinner, although Mrs. Lee took her across the court into her house, that
she might get some with her children, and it was a great trial to her
when her mother told her she must go back to school as usual.

'You'll get little enough schooling now, go while you may, Poppy,' she
said.

The excitement in the court was not over when the child passed down it
on her way to school.

The neighbours came to their doors when they caught sight of her red
cloak, and some of them said, 'Poor Poppy!' and some of them shook their
heads mournfully without saying anything. The child could not understand
why they all pitied her so much. She thought they ought to be glad that
such a nice present had come for her.

On her way to school Poppy passed under a curious old gateway, which had
been built many hundred years ago, and which still stood in the old wall
of the city. Under the shadow of this ancient Bar was a shop--such a
pretty shop Poppy thought it, and it was very seldom that she went under
the gateway without stopping to look in at the window. For there,
sitting in a row, and looking out at her, were a number of
dolls--beautiful wax dolls with curly hair and blue eyes and pink
cheeks. And Poppy had never had a wax doll of her own. Her only doll was
an old wooden creature with no real hair, and with long straight arms;
she could never even sit down, for her back and her legs would not bend,
and when Poppy came home and looked at her after she had been gazing in
the toy-shop window she thought her very ugly indeed.

One day when Poppy was standing under the Bar, a lady and a little girl
came up to the shop. The little girl was just as tall as Poppy, and she
stood beside her gazing at the row of dolls.

'I should like that one, mother,' she said; 'the one with yellow hair
and a red necklace.'

That was Poppy's favourit