And it was delicious to see the air of authority and confidence with which the baby-boy put this question. And why not? Had he not been permitted to rule over his mother and cousins, and even over his godfather, the veteran General, who was the greatest man _he_ knew in the world? and should he not rule over these poor creatures? And besides, I think that Master Leonard Lyon, while inheriting all the graces and virtues of his ancient house, inherited some of its faults as well, and among the latter that inordinate pride of caste which is so very objectionable in this republican age, and that he looked upon this order of human creatures as rather lower in the scale of being than well-bred cattle. So, captive and helpless as he was, he looked around upon them with queerly mixed feelings of wonder, mirth, pity and disapprobation, but without a particle of fear. As for the red-haired ruffian, he was so astonished by the words and actions of the baby-boy, that he could but open his mouth and eyes and stare. He did not attempt to recover the necklace; but of course he knew that the child and his jewels were both in his power all the same. Lenny, after staring at him for a moment and receiving no answer to his unanswerable question, turned to the gipsy-looking girl and asked: “What you name, dirl?” “Meg,” answered the girl, smiling kindly on the child. “Met, you tate dis and teep it for Lenny. Me name Lenny,” he said, handing her the necklace. Meg looked up in doubt and fear to the face of her red-haired relative, and meeting his eye, and seeing him nod and wink at her, she slipped the necklace into her bosom, and answered the child, calling herself by the name he had given her: “Yes, pretty! Met will keep it for Lenny. (Yes, and I will, too, if I can,”) she added, in a lower tone. But she probably knew also that the jewels must pass back into the custody of the red-haired ruffian before the night should be over. But Lenny’s attention was instantly called away to another quarter. In fact, he needed to be constantly on the alert to prevent himself from being stripped and skinned by the thieves. “You ’top, _man_!” he indignantly exclaimed to Black Bill, who was stealing the pearl and turquoise armlets from his sleeve. “Div Lenny back, minute!” he cried, making a snatch at the jewels. Black Bill probably felt safe in relinquishing his prizes, for the time being; for as soon as he restored them to Lenny, the child passed them over to the appointed keeper of the jewels, saying: “Met, teep dem too for Lenny.” And the girl, with a smile, put them also in her bosom. But presently this chosen servant seemed turning traitor to her little lord, for while his attention was for a moment called off elsewhere, he felt hands at work upon his pretty little blue kid gaiters, with their gold buttons.