Mr Blakeford seemed as brutal to everyone in the house as he was to me. The only person who did not seem afraid of him was Mary, and upon her his angry scoldings had no effect whatever. To me she was harsh and uncouth as on my first arrival, but, seeing that the amount given me for my meals was disgracefully small, after the first week she did take care that I had a sufficiency of food, although it only took one form. I remember upon one occasion, having to go to the kitchen door, and finding her muttering angrily to herself, while upon seeing me she exclaimed: "They've been going on about too much butter being used again. Come here!" I went closer to her, and she hurried into the larder, and came out with a roll of fresh butter and a new loaf, cutting off a thick piece and plastering it excessively with butter. "There!" she exclaimed, "you go back into the office, and don't you show your face here again until you've eaten up every scrap of that. I'll teach 'em to grumble about the butter." From that day forward Mary was always cutting me great slices of new bread and thickly spreading them with butter. "There," she used to say ungraciously, "I don't like boys, but they shan't half-starve you while I'm here." I was so moved by her unexpected kindness--for it really was done out of goodness of heart--that, having become somewhat hardened to being a confederate in this unlawful acquisition of provender, on one occasion I threw my arms round her neck and kissed her. "Why, you impudent young scamp, what d'yer mean?" she exclaimed, in astonishment. "Please, Mary," I said, "I didn't mean to be impudent; it was because you were so good to me." "Good? Stuff!" she said roughly, "I'm not good. There, get along with you, and don't you do that again." I certainly should have run a good chance of being half-starved but for Mary and another friend. One day when I opened my desk, I found just inside it a plate with an appetising piece of pudding therein, and concluded that it was Mary's doing; but I could not be sure, for her benevolence always took the form of thick slices of bread and butter. The next day there was a piece of cake; another day some apples; another, a couple of tartlets; and at last I determined to hide and see who was the donor of these presents, so welcome to a growing boy. I had made up my mind at last that they came from Hetty, and I was right; for going inside the large paper cupboard one day, instead of going out to fetch the newspaper according to custom, this being one of my new duties, I saw the office door gently open and Hetty's little head peering cautiously in. Then, satisfied that no one was near, she ran lightly to the big desk; I heard it shut down hastily, and then there was a quiet rustling noise, the office door closed and she was gone.