Felix felt that it was a hard question to answer, and he despaired of making it clear to so young an understanding. "See now," he said, with an attempt at simplicity; "you are a little girl. By-and-by you will become a woman; then you will grow older and older, and your hair will turn white, and you will be an old woman. When we are old, we die." "_Must_ we die--all of us?" "All of us, little one. But God gives us a soul which is always young; it never grows old, and when our bodies are worn out, our souls go back to God and heaven." "I give my soul to God to keep," murmured Pollypod, repeating a line which she said in her prayers every night. She did not understand, but she had faith in Felix. She murmured the words so softly that Felix did not hear them. "So that our body is here, and our soul is there, little maid. Earth takes care of one, and heaven takes care of the other." "I suppose it is right," said Pollypod, with her hands clasped in her lap, where the flowers had fallen loose. She looked into his face as she spoke. "Yes, little one, it is right." "And Lily's mother _is_ there, although I can't see her." She gazed earnestly, at the clouds for a few moments before she spoke again. "I want to know!" she then said. "Everybody who dies is not old." "Some die young. God wants them." "I hope God won't want me till I'm old, for I want to grow up to be a woman----" "And then, little maid?" "And then you shall marry me," said Pollypod, coming down to earth, and placing her hand in that of her companion. "I'll be your little wife." "That's a bargain," said Felix merrily; "we're sweethearts from now." "You ought to kiss me," said the forward little maid; and after being kissed, she fell to bunching her buttercups and daisies together. "And now tell me, Pollypod," said Felix, anxious to learn something of Lily and the old man. "Where do you all come from?" "O, along, long, long way! It was such a nice ride!" "Then you live a long way from here?" "O, yes, we live in London, in Soho." "That is a long-way indeed, Pollypod. Are you Lily's cousin?" "O, no; we're none of us relations, not even the baby! But we all live together. Lily lives on the first floor; baby and Mr. and Mrs. Gribble live on the second floor--they're umbrella makers; father and mother and me live on the third floor." "That's very high up, Pollypod!" "I like it because of that; there's such a lot of light! It's nearer the sky, father says. Father's a railway man, and comes home so late! But we play in bed every morning. And we've got a dog; Snap's his name. He goes out to work every morning with father, and comes back at night. We have such fun together! We've got such a nice room." "Only one, Pollypod?"