Little Miss Joy

mother. No one could mistake t

neighbour a kindly service neither expected nor received any from others. She had the reputation of being a cross-grained old woman, who had driven her only daughter away by her unkindness, and had spent what love she had upon her two sons, who suited her in many ways far better than her daughter. The youngest of these-Bertha's

othing went; and the education of Miss Bayliff's school, given

Skinner had said; "and," she added, "few

s self-congratulation-"a great deal too much; and I, for one, don't ap

name; for Maggie had disappeared,

, of a very different type to her family, as i

in the neighbourhood where Mrs. Skinner lived could remember this b

wish to know. She has been and mad

was about all that was ever heard, and nothing was really known. Any attempt to question Mrs. Skinner was met by a sharp reb

ouse, with a window on each side of the door, and three above it, a lean-to at the back, and a square of garden in front. The path to the door was of pebbles, and they always made a disagreeable crunching

'll just walk across to that bench and wait for you, my Joy. I

long pointed grass, which hid the view of the sea from the lower window of Mrs. Skin

e door, and seemed half afra

brass handle of the do

back door; p'raps gr

fraid to g

very particular; she

rather I didn't come in? Oh, then I will

that," said Bertha, m

ure filled the narrow entrance. She stood without saying a word for a

with Bertha, and she has been home to tea with

rp reply; "she can bring herself, I suppo

d with emphasis, "because you do no

he door while Joy was speaking, and there was

ou say you

Pinckney and Mrs. Harrison. Miss Pinckney keeps t

article there, and I never mean to. Well, you

t come to tea again; and if you'd like to co

I leave that to drones, who've got nothing better to do. Did

am; he's

he door was shut with a sharp bang,

tle Miss Joy said; "for your grandmoth

then she added, "Every one but you is cross t

ation, were suffused with blushes, which ma

a moment-d

the back door, and alon

was open, and Bet sa

e sits at night, and I hear people coming

est for Joy, and she just looked round the

hat funny little boxes! They are like the big hour-glass in Uncle Bobo's glas

h were scarcely to be called a staircase. They creaked under h

m with a sloping roof and a beam. The room was in fact only a

nd she gave it to me. I can just remember her kissing me one night, and saying, 'God bless you-you poor orphan.'

nk covered with spotted lilac paper, and

ather frame, and as she rubbed the glass, which

she p

, in a white dress with a band of ribbon, which a photographic arti

never saw any one so pretty till I saw you

fully at the por

good and so sweet, as if she coul

d; "and she is like you, for you are g

m impudent to Susan. She says I am impudent, and Miss Pinckney has called me a 'saucy little baggag

used to be so good to me;" and her eyes grew dim, and the corners of her rosy lips turned down o

d; "I don't want you

omentary depression which the thought of Jack's loss

usly down the narrow st

e, Bet;

ping off across the road to the seat where Uncle Bobo sat, with his round back-very r

kiss all that was visible of his rosy cheek beneath his large wide-awake. "I'd like her to kiss me lik

ort white muslin blind at Uncle Bobo and Joy. What was she thinking about? For her thin lips were parted as if s

ng in. She never knew what reception she might get, a

ndmo

started, and

hat do y

etty? Isn't s

nly skin deep; and I dare say she's a pert little huss