behind her, and stood watching her father's men, who were yoking the horses
in the waggons and tying ropes round the different loads, to prevent
anything falling off.

As soon as she was gone, her mother laid her hand on her husband's arm, and
said--

'Augustus, there are two things I want to ask you before I die.'

'What are they?' said the man shortly, crossing his legs and leaning back
on his chair.

'The first is, Augustus, that you will find a home for Rosalie when I'm
dead. Don't take her about from fair to fair; she will have no mother to
take care of her, and I can't bear to think of her being left here all
alone.'

'All alone?' said Augustus angrily; 'she will have me, she will be all
right if I'm here; and I'm not going to let the child go, just when she's
beginning to be useful. Besides, where would you have her go?'

Rosalie's mother did not tell the secret hope which was in her heart.

'I thought,' she said, 'you might find some motherly body in the country
somewhere, who would take care of her for very little money, and would send
her to school regularly, and see she was brought up properly.'

'Oh, nonsense!' said Augustus; 'she will be all right with me; and I'm not
going to lose a pretty child like that from the stage! Why, half the people
come to see the lovely little actress, as they call her; I know better than