sweetstuff, extracted from the basket a small black cat, and
settled in for the afternoon. Her grandmother rose, took her
basket, and, with a nod and "Thank 'ee kindly, mister," went off
down the road.

I went back to my work a little depressed--why had I not white
hair?--for a few minutes had shown me that I was not old enough for
the child despite my forty years. She was quite happy with the
little black cat, which lay in the small lap blinking its yellow
eyes at the sun; and presently an old man came by, lame and bent,
with gnarled twisted hands, leaning heavily on his stick.

He greeted me in a high, piping voice, limped across to the child,
and sat down. "Your little maid, mister?" he said.

I explained.

"Ah," he said, "I've left a little darlin' like this at 'ome. It's
'ard on us old folks when we're one too many; but the little mouths
must be filled, and my son, 'e said 'e didn't see they could keep
me on the arf-crown, with another child on the way; so I'm tramping
to N-, to the House; but it's a 'ard pinch, leavin' the little
ones."

I looked at him--a typical countryman, with white hair, mild blue
eyes, and a rosy, childish, unwrinkled face.

"I'm eighty-four," he went on, "and terrible bad with the
rheumatics and my chest. Maybe it'll not be long before the Lord
remembers me."