"Tha' shouldn't have done it -- tha' shouldn't!
Tha'll get me in trouble. I never told thee nothin'
about him -- but tha'll get me in trouble. I
shall lose my place and what'll mother do!"

"You won't lose your place," said Mary.
"He was glad I came. We talked and talked
and he said he was glad I came."

"Was he?" cried Martha. "Art tha' sure?
Tha' doesn't know what he's like when anything
vexes him. He's a big lad to cry like a baby, but
when he's in a passion he'll fair scream just to
frighten us. He knows us daren't call our souls
our own."

"He wasn't vexed," said Mary. "I asked
him if I should go away and he made me stay.
He asked me questions and I sat on a big footstool
and talked to him about India and about the robin
and gardens. He wouldn't let me go. He let
me see his mother's picture. Before I left him I
sang him to sleep."

Martha fairly gasped with amazement.

"I can scarcely believe thee!" she protested.
"It's as if tha'd walked straight into a lion's den.
If he'd been like he is most times he'd have
throwed himself into one of his tantrums and
roused th' house. He won't let strangers look
at him."

"He let me look at him. I looked at him all

[[173]]

p172 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p173w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p174

v?