Kitty.

The bribe was a small brooch that had originally contained the letters of
the little girl's first name. It was a very cheap brooch when new, and
now some of the letters were gone and the gilt was worn off, but it was
still a priceless treasure in Kitty's eyes. Joel Ham examined the gift,
and then looked down upon the petitioner, his face pulled sideways into
its familiar withered grin.

Do you know this is bribery, little Miss Grey,' he said, 'bribery and
corruption?'

Ye-es, please, sir,' said Kitty.

'And do you know that that fellow up there is a monster of infamy, a
rebel and a riotous blackguard, who must be repressed in the interests of
peace and good government?'

'Yes, please, sir; but--but he's only a little fellow.' The master's
tremendous words seemed to call for this reminder.

Joel screwed his grin down another wrinkle or two.

'Yet you intercede for the ruffian try to buy him off, and at a
valuation, too, that proves you to be deaf to the voice of reason and
utterly improvident.'

'Oh, Mr. Ham, he didn't mean it--really, he didn't mean it!

Joel screwed out another wrinkle. His mirth always increased wrinkle by