Part 14 (1/2)

”Yes. If Mr. Ruffin would let you stay for a week or two, I could teach you a lot,” said Pollyooly hopefully.

For the rest of the way to the Temple they discussed in detail Millicent's accomplishments. They were few and limited; but to her willingness to work there were no bounds.

As soon as they reached the Temple they set about getting dinner.

Fortunately Pollyooly had in her larder half a cold chicken; for, as was his practice, the Honourable John Ruffin had three days before ordered a cold chicken from the kitchen of the Inner Temple, had made a pretence of eating some of it at his breakfast, and then had bidden her never let him see it again. This was one of his ways of making sure that she and the Lump were properly fed, without weakening her independence by sapping her belief that she really supported the two of them.

Accordingly Millicent made an excellent meal; and it restored her strength and her spirits. She was surprised by the fact that the Lump had a whole mugful of milk with his dinner, for she was unused to this lavishness with that luxury in a child's diet. Pollyooly explained that it had been an article of faith with her Aunt Hannah that a young child needed a pint of milk a day; therefore the Lump always had one.

Millicent was deeply impressed: this was indeed affluence.

She helped Pollyooly wash up after their dinner; and then Pollyooly suggested that it would be well for her to look very clean indeed when she was presented to Mr. Ruffin.

”He's so particular about children being clean. Mr. Gedge-Tomkins isn't nearly so particular,” she said apologetically. ”I work for him, too, you know. He lives across the landing.”

Millicent accepted the suggestion readily enough, for her mother had been cleaner than her cla.s.s. Pollyooly helped her wash and dry and brush out her ma.s.s of silken hair, and lent her a clean frock of her own. Presently, after the good meal on the top of her fast, Millicent turned very sleepy, and Pollyooly let her sleep. She was still sleeping when the Honourable John Ruffin returned home.

Pollyooly did not at once hurry to him with her news. She cut his bread and b.u.t.ter very thin and nice, and followed his instructions about the making of tea with scrupulous exactness. She carried the tray into his sitting-room and set it beside him. Then she hesitated, looking at him.

He looked up from the evening paper he was scanning, smiled his usual smile of appreciation at her angel face, and said amiably:

”Well, Mrs. Bride: what is it?”

When he did not call her Pollyooly he called her ”Mrs.” Bride, because they had decided that ”Miss” Bride did not sound sufficiently dignified a name for a housekeeper.

”Please, sir: I've got a little girl here,” said Pollyooly in a somewhat anxious, deprecating tone.

”A little girl?” said the Honourable John Ruffin in a natural surprise.

”Yes, sir. Her mother's dead; and they wanted to send her to the workhouse; but she ran away,” said Pollyooly quickly.

”Curious that England's little ones should fly from the home she offers them,” said the Honourable John Ruffin in his most amiable tone.

”Yes, sir. And she hadn't had anything to eat and she was very hungry, so I brought her home to dinner,” said Pollyooly still quickly.

”A very proper thing to do,” said the Honourable John Ruffin.

”And I thought I'd ask you if she could stop here, sir--with me and the Lump--till she gets some work to do. There'd be lots of room for her, sir; and she wouldn't bother you at all,” said Pollyooly in a tone of anxious pleading.

”To get work might take a long time,” said the Honourable John Ruffin gravely.

”Yes, sir; it might,” said Pollyooly no less gravely, for she knew well the difficulty of getting work in London.

”And do you propose to keep her till she finds work?” said the Honourable John Ruffin in the tone of one who finds it difficult to believe his ears.

”Oh, yes, sir. She wouldn't eat much,” said Pollyooly in a tone of cheerful serenity.

”Out of the exiguous wages Mr. Gedge-Tomkins and I pay you?”

”Yes, sir. I can do it quite well,” said Pollyooly confidently; and then she added hopefully: ”And perhaps it wouldn't be for long.”