“There, sir, what do you think of these?” she exclaimed, dragging a pair of handsomely-floured pullets out of the basket and holding them at arm’s length, as though they were a pair of ear-rings. “Aren’t they beauties, sir?” “How can I send them across? Will you take them?” “Oh yes. I can jest leave ’em at the door wi’ Mrs. Parrot’s compliments. She’ll be sure to guess that they’re my rearin’, and save me from an untruth, though my religion is none so fine, thank God, that I should be afeard to tell a kind o’ white lie to help any poor creature as wanted.” She then examined the pullets attentively, to make sure that there were no trade-marks upon them in the shape of tickets, adjusted her bonnet, wiped her face, and walked across the road. Holdsworth waited in the passage until she returned. She was absent a few minutes, and then came back smiling, with the lid of the basket raised to let Holdsworth see that it was empty. “Did you see Mrs. Conway?” “No, sir, I wouldn’t ask for her,” replied Mrs. Parrot, wiping her feet on the door-mat. “I jest says to the gal, ‘Give this here to your missis with my compliments, and tell her that they’re ready for cookin’ at once, as they’re been killed long enough.’ I niver see any gal look like that wench did when she took the pullets. I thought she’d ha’ fainted. She turned as pale as pale, and then she grinned slow-like, and then laughed wi’ a sound for all the world like the squeak of a dog that’s smotherin’ under a cushion. Here’s your change, sir. Pullets, six shillin’, and one is seven, and two is nine, and two sixpences makes it right. Will you please to count it?” Holdsworth thanked her, and returned to the sitting-room with a relieved mind. But scarcely was he seated when Mrs. Parrot knocked on the door, and mysteriously beckoned him into the passage. “I forgot to say, sir, that I ast the gal before coming away if her master was in, and she said ‘No.’ I says, ‘When will he be in?’ She says, ‘I don’t know, missis; he went out this mornin’, an’ he’s not been back since.’ Mark what I say, sir!” added Mrs. Parrot, raising an emphatic forefinger, “he’ll not give a penny o’ that money to his poor wife, but jest keep away from her till he’s drunk it all out.” Accompanying which prophecy with many indignant nods, she walked defiantly towards the kitchen. The idea of Dolly’s miserable position, never before impressed upon him as it had been that day, made Holdsworth wretched. He seated himself at the window and stared gloomily and sadly into the road. Nelly came to him and tried to coax him to play with her, but he had no heart even to meet the little creature’s sweet entreating eyes with a smile. He caught her up, pressed her to him, and kissed her again and again, while the hot tears rolled down his thin face.