generally find it."

"Look here, Sophy," her father urged, "you don't want that blue
cross."

"I do want it--I happen to want it." And Sophy glanced at me with a
little laugh.

Her laugh, which in itself was pretty, suggested that there were
various relations in which one might stand to Miss Ruck; but I think
I was conscious of a certain satisfaction in not occupying the
paternal one. "Don't worry the poor child," said her mother.

"Come on, mother," said Miss Ruck.

"We are going to look about a little," explained the elder lady to
me, by way of taking leave.

"I know what that means," remarked Mr. Ruck, as his companions moved
away. He stood looking at them a moment, while he raised his hand to
his head, behind, and stood rubbing it a little, with a movement that
displaced his hat. (I may remark in parenthesis that I never saw a
hat more easily displaced than Mr. Ruck's.) I supposed he was going
to say something querulous, but I was mistaken. Mr. Ruck was
unhappy, but he was very good-natured. "Well, they want to pick up
something," he said. "That's the principal interest, for ladies."



CHAPTER IV.