The dame looked about her anxiously. "My darlings, you must be hungry," she was beginning, but the little new-comers interrupted her. "No, no," they said, with the quick thoughtfulness of the children of their class, "this kind man," pointing to Michael, "gave us supper at his house. We only want to go to bed, and it will be so beautiful to wake in the morning and to find we are with our own granny." "And I have money to get some more bread and milk for breakfast," added Paul, jingling the two coppers in his pocket, "so that will be all right." With the help of the two young men, a bed was soon made up for the boy on the old kitchen settle, as there was room for little Mattie beside the dame. Everything in the cottage was scrupulously clean, for to have had it otherwise would have broken Dame Martha's heart, and by the handy way that the children moved about, tired though they were, she was pleased to see that they had been well and carefully brought up. So for the moment she tried to dismiss her anxiety. But when the cousins said good-night and set off on their way home Michael's heart felt heavy for the little family. "Good Lord!" he murmured, "if only I were rich!" "What then?" asked Giles. "You'd be for taking the lot of them on your shoulders, I suppose. Well, as things are, you can't do so. Of course they must all go to the workhouse, though to-night it would have been cruel to hint at such a thing." Michael said nothing, but he had some hope that this might be avoided. That very day--I have said it was a Saturday--a long conversation had taken place at old Peter's between himself and his favourite Ysenda. She had looked in as she often did, and was startled and distressed to find him far from well. "Yes," he said, in answer to her kindly enquiries, "yes, my dear young friend, I am failing fast. You must not grieve about it--the thought of dying is very familiar to me and far from unwelcome. But there is something I wish to consult you about. You know my secret. You know the only legacy I can leave behind me. It is as to this that I want to know your opinion, for you have a good sound judgment as well as a kind heart. To me myself the greatest pleasure would be to bequeath my magic gift to _you_, my dear Ysenda." But the girl, as he had in his heart expected, shook her head.