such as Mary had
never seen before. She had a pale face, and very kind, dark eyes. Mary
liked to watch her when she walked about the room, and presently she
brought a tray covered by a cloth, on which stood a cup and saucer. She
began to feed Mary with a spoon, and Mary thought she had never tasted
anything so nice before. She felt as if she did not want anything else
in the world--only to know where she was and how she had come here, and
whether she should ever be sent back to Mrs. Coppert and William Street.

But although she wanted to know all this, she did not ask any questions
just yet, for somehow Mary could not talk as she used to do. But her
thoughts grew very busy; she wondered what were the names of the
different things she had to eat; she wondered who the tall, dark man
with the long beard could be, who came to see her every morning and
looked at her right foot and felt her left wrist in a strange way. One
day she raised her head from the pillow to look at the foot herself.

'I see you are better this morning,' said the tall man. 'Do you feel
better?'

'Quite well, thank you,' answered Mary, and when he went away, Mary
looked up at the lady with the kind, dark eyes, and asked, 'What is the
matter with my foot, please?'

'Ah! that is to prevent you from running away and leaving us,' was the
answer. 'When we bring little girls here we don't want them to run away
again.'

'I shouldn't run away,' said Mary solemnly; 'I shouldn't really. I don't
want to run away.'

'That's right.'

'Only where is it?' asked Mary.

'Now don't you think it's a very nice place?'

'Oh, very nice!' cried Mary. 'I know what it is,' she added; 'it's all a
dream! Only I hope I'm not going to wake again.'

'What nonsense you're talking,' was the answer. 'Of course you are
awake, dear.'

'Why do you call me dear?' asked Mary.

'Because I'm very fond of you.'

'But why are you fond of me?' asked Mary. You will notice she rather
liked to ask questions when she got the chance, but they had been very
seldom answered until now.

'Well, now I wonder why!' was the answer. 'Let me see! Haven't I made
you comfortable and given you nice beef-tea and jelly?'

'I like them very much,' said Mary.

'Well, then, I daresay that's why I like you. Because we generally like
persons if we do kind things for them.'

'I see,' said Mary, but she didn't understand at all. 'But I'm sure it's
a dream,' she added, 'and I do hope I shan't wake!