thing of this distrust, and it hurt
her. Her eyes filled, but she forced back the tears, and spoke out
bravely.

"I shall do all right, thank you, ma'am. We'll be going on again,
now. I ain't afraid of nothing when I've got Dick with me, and--and
thank you, ma'am, for all you've given us; but I wish you'd 'ave one
of my baskets, ma'am, please! I can easy make another, and I'd be
glad if you would, please, ma'am."

Mrs. Perry felt a prick of conscience, and her heart melted.
She could see that the child's feelings were hurt, and that her
self-respect made her anxious to pay for all they had received.

"If you wouldn't mind sleeping in the barn in the garden, you and
your dog, you're welcome. It's as clean as can be, and there's
plenty of nice straw there, to make a comfortable bed for you.
You'd be under shelter there, and if so be as your uncle should come
this way, he'd never find you there."

Instead of conferring a favour, she found herself almost asking the
child to stay, and to Huldah the temptation was too great to be
resisted. To be safe from her uncle! She felt she could bear
anything, if she could only for a few hours feel quite safe.
She was so tired, too, so dead-tired, she did not know, in spite of
her brave words, how she could possibly drag her weary body a step
further.

A few moments later the front-door had been securely bolted, and Mrs.
Perry, lantern in hand, was conducting her two strange visitors out
of the back door and down the garden.

"That's the fowls' house," she explained, flashing her lantern over
the door of the little building as they passed it, "and here is the
barn."

She opened the door, and threw the lantern light all over the wooden
shed. It was spotlessly clean, and sweet with the smell of the straw
which was scattered about one end of it. There were some bundles and
some loose straw lying on the ground. Huldah sank down on one of the
bundles with a little cry of relief, while Dick burrowed delightedly
in the loose straw.

"You won't be afraid, you think?"

"No, ma'am, thank you, not with Dick," she answered, bravely.

She did not feel quite so brave, though, when the light had gone, and
she heard the house-door bolted, and found herself and Dick shut in
alone in the dark in that great empty strange place. She did wish
that Mrs. Perry had seen fit to leave them the lantern. Rats loved
straw, Huldah knew, so did mice, and she was dreadfully afraid of
both.