114 - OLD ACQUAINTANCE AND NEW.

down !” said she, throwing her arms round his neck,
and playfully twisting her small fingers in his thin
gray hair. ‘ It has not been combed,” said she, “ all
the morning;” and, taking a small case-comb from her
father’s waistcoat pocket, she began smoothing and
arranging his hair. It seemed to have a soothing influ-
ence on him; he sat still, and his face grew calmer.

“ Well, well, child,” said he at length, putting her
gently from him, “ I must be going, and if I am not
back to-night, don’t be alarmed. I shall go round
by Lichfield and Burton, and may be absent two or
three days.”

“ But I must know, first of all,” said she, cheer-
fully, “that all is ready for your journey. Have
you got your night-cap? Nay, I must see it before I
can believe. Ah, good, yes! And your gloves? and
let me see that there are no holes in them. Sit down
like a dear father, while I mend them ; you will have
walking enough before you come back!” and, so
saying, the dear, cheerful, little creature took out
her little needle-book and thimble, and mended up
the old gloves as tidily as if they had been new,
though anybody but she would have said that they
were past mending months ago. How like the most
skilful of valets she brushed his old coat, which, like
his gloves, had seen its best days long ago, chatting
and singing all the while like a spirit of love and
gladness as she was.

When all these little offices were done for him, and.
the neat little paper of sandwiches put into his pocket
before his eye, and he duly warned to remember that.
he had them with him, and not to do as he did some-
times, go famishing all day, and then bring them
home dry in his pocket at night—which she assured