She walked back without meeting any one, and entered her new home. She was right; they were preparing for dinner. Mrs Hogg was stirring something over the fire; the boys were in their old attitude of rapt attention, their hands in their pockets. There was a cloth on the table which had once been white; it was certainly that no longer. There were coarse knives and forks and very coarse plates, with the thickest glasses to drink out of that Nesta had ever seen. Mrs Hogg said: "If you'll take your 'at off, Miss, dinner'll be ready in a twinkle." Nesta retired into the bedroom; she came back in a few minutes. When she did so the youngest boy came up to her, and whispered in her ear: "Pease pudding for dinner." He then said, looking round at his brother, "Hurra!" and the brother, as was his invariable habit, cried "Hooray!" The pease pudding was lifted out of the pot in a bag; the bag was opened, the boys looking on with breathless interest. It was put in the centre of the table on a round dish, and the family sat down. "Your grace, Dan," said Mrs Hogg. Dan said: "For all your mercies--" He closed his eyes and mumbled the rest. Then Mrs Hogg cut liberal slices of the pease pudding and helped Nesta and the two children. She gave Nesta the largest share. Nesta disliked pease pudding as much as she disliked fried herring, but that did not matter; she was so hungry now that she ate it. The pease pudding was followed by a dumpling, which the boys greatly appreciated. There were currants in it, so few that to search for them was most exciting and caused "Hurras!" and "Hoorays!" to sound through the cottage. This was a dinner which was, as the boys expressed it, "filling." "Seems to puff you out," said Ben. "Seems to stuff you up," said Dan. "Out you both go now," said Mrs Hogg, and she and Nesta were alone. Mrs Hogg washed up and put the place in perfect order. She then sat down by the table, put on her spectacles, and opened her Bible. "Ain't you got a Bible with you?" she said. "No," replied Nesta, "I haven't got anything with me." "Shall I read aloud to you, Miss?" "No, thank you," replied Nesta. Mrs Hogg glanced up at Nesta with small favour in her face. "Please," said Nesta, coming close to her, "I want to get something to do. I am a young lady, you know." "Maybe you be; but you took all the clothes off me last night, and that ain't young-ladyish to my way o' thinking." "I'm sorry," said Nesta, who thought it best to propitiate Mrs Hogg, "Please," she continued, in a coaxing tone, "do you happen to know a blind lady in the village?" "A blind lady--what do you mean?" "Isn't there one?" cried Nesta, in a tone of distress. "Why, you talk as though you wanted some one to be blind. What do you mean?" "Well, I do; I want to read to her." "Sakes alive! what a queer child." "But is there one?"