," sobbed Jessie. "Oh, _please_ let me go. What do you want? I
haven't got any money--"

"It's _you_ I want, yourself, Jessie Lang."

Jessie looked up in surprise, wondering how he knew her name.
She had thought him a tramp only, though a particularly horrible one.
Now a deeper fear crept into her heart, causing her to feel sick and
faint with alarm, and a dread of she hardly knew what.

"Why do you want me?" she gasped, trembling, scarcely able to form
her words, so furiously was her poor little heart beating.

"Why do I want you? 'Cause I'm your own father, and I've been robbed
of you for five years! Natural enough, isn't it, that a man should
want his own child to come and look after him?"

"But I've got to look after granny and granp," gasped Jessie,
"they are old, and granny's ill, and--and they've taken care of me
all this time, and now I've got to take care of them. I'm very
sorry, but I can't look after you too."

"Dear me!" muttered the man. "How polite we are! But whether you
can or you can't, you've got to! I think it's a pity they haven't
brought you up better, and taught you your duty to your father.
Well, I can't be wasting any more time here. We've got a long
journey before us."

"Oh no, no!" cried Jessie, beside herself with dismay; "don't take me
away!--_please_, please don't make me leave granny!"

"Shut up that noise," interrupted her father roughly. "You've got to
learn that I never stand whining and bellowing; and the sooner you
learn it the better. Now I did mean to spare you all the trouble of
saying 'good-bye,' but on second thoughts I'll go in and explain a
bit to the old woman, so hurry along and lead the way. I don't want
any nonsense about putting the police on my track to find you and
bring you back, so it shall be all open and straight. You are mine
by law, and I am going to stick to the law."

Jessie was trembling so, she could scarcely drag her limbs along, but
she did her best to obey her father's command, a wild hope springing
up in her heart that if once she got within the shelter of home and
granny, all would be well.

As she opened the cottage door she heard her grandmother's voice
calling down to her. "Why, Jessie, wherever have you been? I was
afraid something had happened. The kettle has boiled over and over
until the fire must be nearly put out." But she had scarcely
finished speaking before Jessie dashed up the stairs and into her
room breathless, al