Part 29 (1/2)

”No, miss; I meant James Welton.”

”Oh!” exclaimed Katie, prolonging that monosyllable in a sliding scale, ranging from low to high and back to low again, which was peculiarly suggestive; ”I beg your pardon, I quite misunderstood you; well, you may tell Mr Welton that I will befriend Billy to the utmost of my power.”

The door opened as she spoke, and cousin f.a.n.n.y entered.

”Katie, I've come to tell you that Mr Queek--” She stopped short on observing Nora, who rose hastily, thanked Katie earnestly for the kind interest she had expressed in her little friend, and took her leave.

”This is a very interesting little incident, Fan,” said Katie with delight when they were alone; ”quite a romancelet of real life. Let me see; here is a poor boy--the boy who deceived us, you remember--whom bad companions are trying to decoy into the wicked meshes of their dreadful net, and a sweet young girl, a sort of guardian angel as it were, comes to me and asks my aid to save the boy, and have him sent to sea. Isn't it delightful? Quite the ground-work of a tale--and might be so nicely ill.u.s.trated,” added Katie, glancing at her drawings. ”But forgive me, Fan; I interrupted you. What were you going to tell me?”

”Only that Mr Queeker cannot come to tea tonight, as he has business to attend to connected with his secret mission,” replied f.a.n.n.y.

”How interesting it would be,” said Katie, musing, ”if we could only manage to mix up this mission of Mr Queeker's in the plot of our romance; wouldn't it? Come, I will put away my drawing for to-day, and finish the copy of papa's quarterly cash-account for those dreadful Board of Trade people; then we shall go to the pier and have a walk, and on our way we will call on that poor old bedridden woman whom papa has ferreted out, and give her some tea and sugar. Isn't it strange that papa should have discovered one so soon? I suppose you are aware of his _penchant_ for old women, Fan?”

”No, I was not aware of it,” said Fan, smiling.

Whatever Fan said, she accompanied with a smile. Indeed a smile was the necessary result of the opening of her little mouth for whatever purpose--not an affected smile, but a merry one--which always had the effect, her face being plump, of half shutting her eyes.

”Yes,” continued Katie, with animation, ”papa is _so_ fond of old women, particularly if they are _very_ old, and _very_ little, and thin; they _must_ be thin, though. I don't think he cares much for them if they are fat. He says that fat people are so jolly that they don't need to be cared for, but he dotes upon the little thin ones.”

f.a.n.n.y smiled, and observed that that was curious. ”So it is,” observed Katie; ”now _my_ taste lies in the direction of old men. I like to visit poor old men much better than poor old women, and the older and more helpless they are the more I like them.”

f.a.n.n.y smiled again, and observed that that was curious too.

”So it is,” said Katie, ”very odd that papa should like the old women and I should like the old men; but so it is. Now, Fan, we'll get ready and--oh how provoking! That must be another visitor! People find papa out so soon wherever we go, and then they give him no rest.”

”A boy wishes to see you, miss,” said Mrs Cackles.

”Me?” exclaimed Katie in surprise.

”Yes, miss, and he says he wants to see you alone on important business.”

Katie looked at f.a.n.n.y and smiled. f.a.n.n.y returned the smile, and immediately left the room.

”Show him in, Mrs Cackles.”

The landlady withdrew, and ushered in no less a personage than Billy Towler himself, who stopped at the door, and stood with his hat in his hand, and an unusually confused expression in his looks. ”Please, miss,” said Billy, ”you knows me, I think?”

Katie admitted that she knew him, and, knowing in her heart that she meant to befriend him, it suddenly occurred to her that it would be well to begin with a little salutary severity by way of punishment for his former misdeeds.

”Last time I saw you, miss, I _did_ you,” said Billy with a slight grin.

”You did,” replied Katie with a slight frown, ”and I hope you have come to apologise for your naughty conduct.”

”Well, I can't 'xactly say as I have come to do that, but I dessay I may as well begin that way. I'm very sorry, miss, for havin' _did_ you, an'

I've called now to see if I can't _do_ you again.”

Katie could not restrain a laugh at the impudence of this remark, but she immediately regretted it, because Billy took encouragement and laughed too; she therefore frowned with intense severity, and, still remembering that she meant ultimately to befriend the boy, resolved to make him in the meantime feel the consequences of his former misdeeds.

”Come, boy,” she said sharply, ”don't add impertinence to your wickedness, but let me know at once what you want with me.”