"Look here," said Mr. Forbes, "here's Morgan Montgomery's daughter come to pay a visit to her aunt, Fortune Emerson. Don't you think she'll be glad to see her?" Mr. Forbes put this question with rather a curious look at his wife. She didn't answer him. She only looked at Ellen, looked grave, and gave a queer little nod of her head, which meant, Ellen could not make out what. "Now, what's to be done?" continued Mr. Forbes. "Miss Fortune was to have come up to meet her, but she ain't here, and I don't know how in the world I can take the child down there to-night. The horses are both out to plough, you know; and besides, the tire is come off that waggon wheel. I couldn't possibly use it. And then it's a great question in my mind what Miss Fortune would say to me. I should get paid, I s'pose?" "Yes, you'd get paid," said his wife, with another little shake of her head; "but whether it would be the kind of pay you'd like, _I_ don't know." "Well, what's to be done, wife? Keep the child over night, and send word down yonder?" "No," said Mrs. Forbes, "I'll tell you. I think I saw Van Brunt go by two or three hours ago with the ox-cart, and I guess he's somewhere up town yet; I ha'n't seen him go back. He can take the child home with him. Sam!" shouted Mrs. Forbes; "Sam! here!--Sam, run up street directly, and see if you see Mr. Van Brunt's ox-cart standing anywhere--I dare say he's at Mr. Miller's, or may be at Mr. Hammersley's the blacksmith--and ask him to stop here before he goes home. Now hurry! and don't run over him and then come back and tell me he ain't in town." Mrs. Forbes herself followed Sam to the door, and cast an exploring look in every direction. "I don't see no signs of him--up nor down," said she, returning to Ellen; "but I'm pretty sure he ain't gone home. Come in here; come in here, dear, and make yourself comfortable; it'll be a while yet maybe afore Mr. Van Brunt comes, but he'll be along by-and-by;--come in here and rest yourself." She opened a door, and Ellen followed her into a large kitchen, where a fire was burning that showed wood must be plenty in those regions. Mrs. Forbes placed a low chair for her on the hearth, but herself remained standing by the side of the fire, looking earnestly and with a good deal of interest upon the little stranger. Ellen drew her white bonnet from her head, and sitting down with a wearied air, gazed sadly into the flames that were shedding their light upon her. "Are you going to stop a good while with Miss Fortune?" said Mrs. Forbes. "I don't know, ma'am,--yes, I believe so," said Ellen faintly. "Ha'n't you got no mother?" asked Mrs. Forbes suddenly, after a pause. "Oh yes!" said Ellen, looking up. But the question had touched the sore spot. Her head sank on her hands, and "Oh, mamma!" was uttered with a bitterness that even Mrs. Forbes could feel.