Littlebourne Lock

ed with father, mother, and children. It was not the new home at Littlebourne, where Emily's bed lay beside that of her cousin

sed to eat on the previous evening. Mrs. Bosher must have put it in noiselessly while her prisoner was asleep. The pri

her jailer chose to release her. As soon as Mrs. Bosher opened the house-door, or sent her out for water, or for a cabbage, or to hang up wet linen, she would make off an

as disturbed by the door of the room b

. Come down and was

s of bread, and set her in front of the kitchen fire. While thus obeying Mrs. Bosher the mind of Juliet was trying to strike out some plan of escape; but when she saw the brother ou

not fretting at all, but t

he way of breakfast. She sat, cros

hance of escape. The brother was not to be seen from the window. There must come the right moment presently.

," said the deep voi

r, the girl could not resist. She was hurried along the road in the direction furthest from Littlebourne,

himself, but without the gun. Mrs. Bosher led Juliet

said Mrs. Bosher. "She

ow the rigour of the law." It was odd how hi

Jim; and I'll run back, f

along faster than she could walk, and almost as fast as she c

s by a bridge, and passed through a street of shops, and then, by a dir

lebourne station

Mrs. Webster. The big man took Juliet up to them and placed her in front of them, saying

th pitying eyes; the vicar of Littleb

tunately that we are going to London to-day, and so can dispose of her. How much anxiety and tr

cker-witted than men, though they are not so steady-headed. And my sister says, 'She must have come across the fields somehow.' And I says, 'I met a slip of a girl in the wood, and made believe that I was going to shoot her.' And says Mrs. Bos

uliet was lis

an away last night, and we have been in a state ever since.' And then she described her niece, and I saw plain enough that it was this i

to have the girl br

u would be going to town to-day, and she promised to send word to you that I would bring this runaway here to mee

And what did Mr. Rowle

re going to bed, and what else could you expect from the daughter of such a man as that? But the old gentleman who had got out of the boat said, 'Tut, nonsense!' and seemed

She was pushed into a carriage with the vicar and Mrs. Webster. Indignant she was

ed to have her own way. He told her how she might have lived most happily at the lock until a nice little situation had been found for her; but she had spoilt everything, and made her uncle and aunt glad to ge

other, the locking up in Mrs. Bosher's house, this sudden journey home, all showed Juliet that she had tried the patience of grown-up people more than they could bear. She looked with hazy eyes on the country that they we

other side of the city, when your mother expects you at eleven o'clock. But there is no help for it. I have to go down to Westminster. I don't suppose I shall see you till we m

ast the town with the country. It seemed to her that the further she went through the streets the thicker the air became, the dimmer the light, the dingier the houses. And so indeed

ing through Mrs. Webster's mind, o

father and mother would like to leave L

, ma'am," ans

m Mrs. Rowles. Your father would have be

er, and ran on. There were lots of boys and girls playing in the street; some called out to her, some stared at Mrs. Webster. But Juliet took no notice

in, and then stood aghast. A stra

mother?" c

" responded th

moth

e got e'e

's Mrs. M

he front room, if you please. Going u

nto the front room. There

children, all but Albert, stood round about the room; some crying silently, some watching the

s one whom J

itchell's arms clasped closel

baby is gone! He was took with the croup yesterday morning, and he just

l. Outside in the street there was a sound of angry voices-two women quarrelling. Mrs. Webster had

h Mrs. Mitchell knew that the "home for little children" was far, far better for them than the busy, hard world, ye

though short, had been very hard for him, and he had gone out of it at the first call from his Father i

wall, and how often she had let him slip off her lap, or left him lying in the rain or in the fierce sunshine. And now the darling baby had died, and she away from home! She had not watched his last sigh, she had

ith her bad conduct. It is certain that this sudden shock affected her greatly. It was, as it were, a break in her life; her old ill-tempered,

oom, she found that Mrs. Webster was telling Mrs. Mitchell,

. You have my deepest sympathy. And I trust that Juliet will henceforth do better. She has ha

for him. But then he can't leave his work; it is no use to live in the country an

e not," said

en face to face with our employers and no middleman between. But I don't know how it will act. I've done work for Miss Sutton and her

s. Mitchell's hand kind