d's diet. Pollyooly explained
that it had been an article of faith with her Aunt Hannah that a young
child needed a pint of milk a day; therefore the Lump always had one.
Millicent was deeply impressed: this was indeed affluence.

She helped Pollyooly wash up after their dinner; and then Pollyooly
suggested that it would be well for her to look very clean indeed when
she was presented to Mr. Ruffin.

"He's so particular about children being clean. Mr. Gedge-Tomkins
isn't nearly so particular," she said apologetically. "I work for him,
too, you know. He lives across the landing."

Millicent accepted the suggestion readily enough, for her mother had
been cleaner than her class. Pollyooly helped her wash and dry and
brush out her mass of silken hair, and lent her a clean frock of her
own. Presently, after the good meal on the top of her fast, Millicent
turned very sleepy, and Pollyooly let her sleep. She was still
sleeping when the Honourable John Ruffin returned home.

Pollyooly did not at once hurry to him with her news. She cut his
bread and butter very thin and nice, and followed his instructions
about the making of tea with scrupulous exactness. She carried the
tray into his sitting-room and set it beside him. Then she hesitated,
looking at him.

He looked up from the evening paper he was scanning, smiled his usual
smile of appreciation at her angel face, and said amiably:

"Well, Mrs. Bride: what is it?"

When he did not call her Pollyooly he called her "Mrs." Bride, because
they had decided that "Miss" Bride did not sound sufficiently dignified
a name for a housekeeper.

"Please, sir: I've got a little girl here," said Pollyooly in a
somewhat anxious, deprecating tone.

"A little girl?" said the Honourable John Ruffin in a natural surprise.

"Yes, sir. Her mother's dead; and they wanted to send her to the
workhouse; but she ran away," said Pollyooly quickly.

"Curious that England's little ones should fly from the home she offers
them," said the Honourable John Ruffin in his most amiable tone.

"Yes, sir. And she hadn't had anything to eat and she was very hungry,
so I brought her home to dinner," said Pollyooly still quickly.

"A very proper thing to do," said the Honourable John Ruffin.

"And I thought I'd ask you if she could stop here, sir--with me and the
Lump--till she gets some work to do. There'd be lots of room for her,
sir; and she wouldn't bother you at all," said Pollyooly in