WEALTH WITHOUT WINGS. 119

 

away to some distance along the walks, searching
for her lost companion. ‘The lady’s interest being
excited, she followed and persuaded the child to tell
her where she lived. After remaining some time
longer in the square, vainly searching for Fanny,
she was induced to let the lady take her home. Af-
ter hearing this relation, Mrs. Claire said to Edith,
in as calm a voice as she could assume, in order that
the child might think without the confusion of mind
consequent upon excitement—

‘Where is Fanny, dear ?”

‘¢She went with the lady to buy some candies,”
replied the child.

“What lady ?”’ asked the mother.

‘The lady who took us to the square.”

‘The lady who took you to the square ?”’ said the
mother, repeating the child’s words from the very
surprise they occasioned

‘Yes, mamma,” was the simple response.

‘¢What lady was it ?”

“T don’t know. She met us ag we were coming
home from school, and asked us to go down and walk
in the square. She knew Fanny.”’

‘“‘ How do you know, dear ?” asked Mrs. Claire.

“Oh, she called her Fanny ; and said what a nice
big girl she was growing to be.”’

: “aane so you went down to the square with
er {”’ :

‘¢ Yes, ma’am.”

*¢ And what then ?”’ ‘

“We walked about there for a little while, and
then the lady told me to wait while she took Fanny
to the candy-store to buy some candy. I waited,