ss Barnes,
kindly, as she took her leave. "Be a good girl, and do not give Mrs.
Ramsey any trouble. She is more than kind, and you see she trusts
you."

"O, Miss Barnes. I wouldn't do nothin' to trouble that beautiful lady
for nothin'; no, not for nothin'," promised Maggie.

After Miss Barnes had gone Mrs. Ramsey summoned a maid. "Take this
little girl, and give her a good bath," she said. "You can put a cot
in your room for her. She is to sleep here to-night, and to-morrow she
is to go out with me. We will have to manage some sort of an outfit
for her. I think you will have to go out early, Rosa, and do some
shopping for her. Are you hungry, Maggie?" she asked, turning to the
child.

"No, ma'am. I was, but I had a big bowl of mush and milk, what Mis'
Shaw give me."

"You had better give her something more, Rosa. Mush and milk is not a
very lasting diet," returned Mrs. Ramsey, smiling. "Now go with Rosa,
Maggie," and Mrs. Ramsey turned back to the magazine which she had
been reading when Miss Barnes, with Maggie, came in.

Half fearful, half ecstatic, Maggie took her place by the side of Mrs.
Ramsey in her fine carriage the next morning. Rosa had clothed her in
an entirely new suit of clothes, and had really taken pride in seeing
how nice she could make her little charge look. So it was quite a
well-appearing little girl who was Mrs. Ramsey's companion. The idea
of riding in that beautiful carriage nearly took Maggie's breath away;
it seemed as if she must be dreaming; but as she neared the place
where Mrs. Hawkins lived, her heart fluttered, and she looked up so
appealingly at Mrs. Ramsey, that the eyes of the sweet woman filled.
"No one shall hurt you, Maggie dear," she said. And she held the
child's hand firmly, as they left the carriage.

"There she is!" cried Maggie, clinging closely to her friend, as a
hard-featured woman turned toward them from the sidewalk.

Mrs. Hawkins was no respecter of persons, and Mrs. Ramsey's appearance
with Maggie was the signal for a fierce outbreak.

"There ye are, are ye. Callin' yerself a lady, maybe, abductin'
children. I'll have the law on ye, sure as me name's Hawkins," she
cried.

"The child left you of her own accord," said Mrs. Ramsey, with
dignity.

"Then ye've brought her back, have ye?" and Mrs. Hawkins cast a
threatening look at Maggie.

"No, I have not," replied Mrs. Ramsey, quietly. "I simply brought her
along to identify you."

"Ye think yer honest, do