28 Lurnaside Cottage.

the flood. God set the first bow in the cloud as
a sign and promise to Noah that He would never

 

send a flood again to destroy the earth. You do
not know the story of Noah?” she added, seeing
that I looked none the wiser for this explanation.

“No,” said I, thinking meanwhile that Noah
might be somebody whom Squire Prickard knew,
but I was pretty sure that father did not.

“Cannot you read, or say your letters? Do you
go to no school ?”

“ And what would Monna do if I was to go away
from her ?? returned I,inalarm. “I can’t go. She
han’t got nobody but me to look to her.”

“But you would like to learn to read, would not
you, if you need not go away from Monna to do
so?”

“Ye-es,” said I, because I saw that the lady ex-
pected me to say so, but wondering what learning
to read could be, if it did not mean going to school.

The lady stood looking at me for a minute or so,
and, as I looked up at her, I felt that I should not
mind telling her everything about the calf and the
butcher, and Bobby, the white pebble—all. I had
never feltso towards anyone before. Nance always
laughed at me; my father neither understood nor
heeded me ; Tommy patronised me; but here was
someone who could and would understand and