"I _am_ honest," Kittie went on, meditatively, washing away all the time as she talked, "and you could say as I'm not given to pickin' things, or takin' what ain't mine, now couldn't you, mother?" Mrs. Blunt laughed a little, at which Kittie blushed crimson. "Mother!" she exclaimed. "Oh, Kit, my dear, I never meant as I couldn't! Bless your heart, I should hope so! But I was laughin' at you havin' thought it all over so grand!" "Well--but--mother--we would be glad of two shillings more every week, wouldn't we?" "Of course we should, Kittie." Mrs. Blunt raised herself, and wrung the soap-suds from her arms. "Why, yes, Kit, if you _could_, my dear, we shouldn't know ourselves!" Kittie looked very pleased; and directly her mother had done with her, she ran up-stairs to ask Cherry to put her into communication with the doctor's servants. She knocked at Meg's door, but could get no answer, and remembering that they were away, she went up to the top to Mrs. Seymour's rooms. Here on the landing, swaying about in the air that came in freely from the window, were sheets and clothes drying finely; she bobbed her head under them, and as she did so she heard Cherry's clear voice saying-- "I've a'most done, Miss Hobson; will it do then?" Kittie gained admittance, and found Cherry starching some things on the centre table. "My! you do know how to do it fine!" she exclaimed; and then she explained her errand. Cherry took her compliments very calmly, ironing and starching were such every-day things to her; but when she heard what Kittie wanted she looked very serious. "I can ask 'em and welcome, but I don't know as they would. But they are mighty kind." As she spoke she went into the back room to give Miss Hobson a book which she had dropped on the floor, and the invalid called to Kittie to come too. "Look 'ere," she said to her, "_I've_ got a friend as I'll name ye to, if ye like to go and see her. She's the curate's wife, what comes to see me sometimes, and I know as she've got a heap of children and not much to do with. Would ye like to go?" Kittie said she should, and the day being Saturday, and a half-holiday, she ran down to ask her mother's permission to go at once. Mrs. Blunt said it could do no harm to try, and made Kittie as neat as her very spare wardrobe would allow, and saw her set forth on her errand with a strange feeling that she was going out into the world. Kittie traversed the two or three streets that brought her to the one where the good man, who spent his life among the poor, had his home. She rang timidly, and stood for some minutes much concerned that the door was not opened, though she heard feet running up and down, and children's voices many and shrill.