He shook his head. "I saw the woman again, nobody else. She heard what I had to say about the child, and she never said 'Thank ye.'" The man had been getting on his feet, and took up the skewers, that were all tied together with string, and the stick. But he reeled as he stood, and would have fallen again but for Tod. Tod gave him his arm. "We are in for it, Johnny," said he aside to me. "Pity but I could be put in a picture--the Samaritan helping the destitute!" "I'd not accept of ye, sir, but that I have a child sick at home, and want to get to her. There's a piece of bread in my pocket that was give me at a cottage to-day." "Is your child sure to get well?" asked Tod, after a pause; wondering whether he could say anything of what had occurred, so as to break the news. The man gazed right away into the distance, as if searching for an answer in the far-off star shining there. "There's been a death-look in her face this day and night past, master. But the Lord's good to us all." "And sometimes, when He takes children, it is done in mercy," said Tod. "Heaven is a better place than this." "Ay," rejoined the man, who was leaning heavily on Tod, and could never have got home without him, unless he had crawled on hands and knees. "I've been sickly on and off for this year past; worse lately; and I've thought at times that if my own turn was coming, I'd be glad to see my children gone afore me." "Oh, Tod!" I whispered, in a burst of repentance, "how could we have been so hard with this poor fellow, and roughly accused him of stealing Lena?" But Tod only gave me a knock with his elbow. "I fancy it must be pleasant to think of a little child being an angel in heaven--a child that we have loved," said Tod. "Ay, ay," said the man. Tod had no courage to say more. He was not a parson. Presently he asked the man what tribe he belonged to--being a gipsy. "I'm not a gipsy, master. Never was one yet. I and my wife are dark-complexioned by nature; living in the open air has made us darker; but I'm English born; Christian, too. My wife's Irish; but they do say she comes of a gipsy tribe. We used to have a cart, and went about the country with crockery; but a year ago, when I got ill and lay in a lodging, the things were seized for rent and debt. Since then it's been hard lines with us. Yonder's my bit of a tent, master, and now I can get on alone. Thanking ye kindly." "I am sorry I spoke harshly to you to-day," said Tod. "Take this: it is all I have with me." "I'll take it, sir, for my child's sake; it may help to put the strength into her. Otherwise I'd not. We're honest; we've never begged. Thank ye both, masters, once again." It was only a shilling or two. Tod spent, and never had much in his pockets. "I wish it had been sovereigns," said he to me; "but we will do something better for them to-morrow, Johnny. I am sure the Pater will."