rushed down-stairs in
another moment, if Miss Unity had not caught hold of her hand.

"No, my dear; no, thank you; certainly not," she said hurriedly. "Betty
has some one to help her."

A little disappointed, Nancy sat down again. Her eyes fell on the
parcel she held, and she frowned at Pennie to draw her attention to it.
Pennie was looking dreamily round the sitting-room with all its old
familiar objects. She wondered where Kettles' clothes, which she had
left on the side-table, had been put. What a long time it seemed since
she had sat sewing in that high-backed chair! Brought back to the
present by Nancy's deeply frowning glance, she gave a little start and
said hurriedly:

"Nancy and I have brought some new boots and stockings for Kettles. May
we give them to her with the clothes?"

"And will she be at the College?" put in Nancy, "or can we go to Anchor
and Hope Alley?"

Miss Unity's head gave another nervous jerk in the direction of the
door. She had heard a footstep coming upstairs, which was not Betty's.

"We will see about it after tea," she said. "You shall certainly see
the little girl, as I promised you."

The door opened as she spoke, and a small maid-servant in a tall cap
appeared, bearing a tray. Betty hovered in the background with a face
in which pride and laughter struggled together.

Kettles was not used to her new style of dress yet, and held herself
stiffly as though she had been dressed up for a joke. The tangled hair
which used to fall low on her forehead was tightly brushed back and
tucked up in a net. Her face looked bare and unshaded, and several
degrees lighter by reason of yellow soap and scrubbing. It was
surmounted by a cap of Betty's, which had been cut to fit her, but was
still much too tall for such a small person. Nothing remained of the
old Kettles but her eyes, which still had the quick observant look in
them of some nimble animal, as she advanced in triumph with her tray.

The children stared in surprise at this strange little figure without
any idea that they had seen it before, while Miss Unity and Betty
watched them with expectant smiles.

"This is my new little maid," said Miss Unity.

Kettles dropped a curtsy, and having put down her tray, stood with her
arms hanging straight beside her, and her bright eyes fixed on the
children.

All at once Pennie gave her sister a nudge.

"Why, don't you see?" she exclaimed; "I really do believe it's Kettles!"

"