the funeral came nearer and nearer.

Then all at once Jane's heart went cold with pity, for between the two
chief mourners she saw a little boy. It was the little boy's mother in
the hearse, of course, and one of the men was his father. Tears rolled
down her face at the sight of him. He was such a little boy, in a
black coat that was miles too big for him, and his head bent like his
father's. This was too much for Jane's feelings; she rolled over the
wall, hid her face behind a tombstone, and cried bitterly.

The bell went on tolling. The wind soughed in the yew-trees. The
funeral procession came into the churchyard, the tall men carrying the
coffin, and the chief mourners walking behind. The little boy walked
beside his father.

"Poor, poor wee sowl," Jane sobbed. "God pity it--it might 'a' been
our wee Patsy!--Ye young divil!" she added through her teeth--for it
was Patsy. Sure enough, there he was in Mick's black coat and hat,
walking solemnly behind the coffin, holding that strange man's hat.

"So I've catched ye, my boy," she muttered, hiding down behind the
tombstone. She could watch without being seen, by lying flat on her
stomach, and she determined to see the end of it now. The burial
service began. She could hear voices, but could see nothing for the
crowd round the grave. Then the crowd parted, and she saw the coffin
lowered. The tall man began to sob. Patsy respectfully held the man's
hat and gloves while he cried into a big black-bordered
pocket-handkerchief. At last it was over, and they came back along the
path. As they passed by the tombstone where Jane lay she heard Patsy
say:

"Well, I must be goin', so I'll be sayin' good-mornin' to ye, sir."

A man's voice answered. "Ye're the remains a' them as is in their
graves, sir. Good-morning to ye, sir."

When they had all passed she crept along behind the tombstone to the
far wall, and jumped over it into the field. Then she ran as fast as
she could to the road, climbed up the bank, and sat down behind the
hedge to wait for Patsy. He came soon, whistling, with the skirts of
Mick's coat tucked up under his arm. Jane waited till he came quite
near, then she jumped over the hedge, and stood in front of him.

"Think I didn't see ye," he said; "jukin' down behind a tombstone with
yer flat ould face? Ye very near made me laugh."

"What were ye doin', Patsy?" she said.

"'Deed, I was a mourner at the woman's feeneral, an' a very d