m down to Mrs Kelly's house, he stayed there
nearly an hour. The children were getting very sleepy when he came
back into the school-room.

"Well," he said, pulling up a chair to the fire, "so you want me to
cure this boy Tom?"

Mick nodded.

"I think it could be done," Doctor Dixey went on. "But it would cost a
deal of money--more than any of us can afford to spend."

"How much?" Jane asked.

"Ten pounds at least, and then it's only a chance. And the old woman
will be left alone in any case."

They looked inquiringly at him.

"You see, the only chance is to send him abroad. He'll die if he stays
here. And when he gets there he'll have to stay there. So the
grandmother would miss him just as much as if he----"

"She wouldn't care," Jane interrupted. "Sure, couldn't he write
letters to her if he was alive! An' he couldn't do that if he was
dead."

"But the money--where's that to come from?" said Doctor Dixey.

"We'll just have to fin' it," said Mick.

"I'm afraid that will be a hard job," said Doctor Dixey as he got up to
go. "But I'll see to the boy while he's here, and if you find the
money I'll find the ship."

They sat up for another hour, talking it over with Lull. She said it
was hopeless to think of such a lot of money, but the children declared
that they would find it somewhere. After they had gone to bed, and
Lull had put out the candle, Jane heard a noise in the dark room.

"Who's that?" she said, starting up in bed.

"It's on'y me sayin' me prayers," said Honeybird.

"Ye said them wanst afore," said Jane. "Get into bed, an' be quiet."

Honeybird got into bed, but in about three minutes she was out again.

"What's the matter now?" said Jane.

"It's on'y me sayin' me prayers," Honeybird answered.

"Sure, ye said them twiced afore," said Fly crossly.

"I'm sayin' them three times for luck," said Honeybird as she got back
into bed.

Next morning Mick and Jane started off together to look for the money.
Soon after they had gone Honeybird came into the kitchen with her best
hood on, and said she was going out to see somebody. "Don't ye be
feared," she said when Lull had tied the strings of her hood. "I'll be
away the quare long time, but I'll bring ye all somethin' nice when I
come back."

An hour later she was knocking at the door of the big white house, two
miles away, where old Mr M'Keown lived. None of the children had ever
been there before; but they had heard about M