blunders, but only Dennet fell into a violent fit of laughter, when
he presented the stately alderman with a nutmeg under the impression
that it was an overgrown peppercorn. She suppressed her mirth as
well as she could, poor little thing, for it was a great offence in
good manners, but she was detected, and, only child as she was, the
consequence was the being banished from the table and sent to bed.

But when, after supper was over, Ambrose went out to see if there
were any signs of the return of Stephen and the rest, he found the
little maiden curled up in the gallery with her kitten in her arms.

"Nay!" she said, in a spoilt-child tone, "I'm not going to bed
before my time for laughing at that great oaf! Nurse Alice says he
is to wed me, but I won't have him! I like the pretty boy who had
the good dog and saved father, and I like you, Master Ambrose. Sit
down by me and tell me the story over again, and we shall see Kit
Smallbones come home. I know he'll have beaten the brewer's
fellow."

Before Ambrose had decided whether thus far to abet rebellion, she
jumped up and cried: "Oh, I see Kit! He's got my ribbon! He has
won the match!"

And down she rushed, quite oblivious of her disgrace, and Ambrose
presently saw her uplifted in Kit Smallbones' brawny arms to utter
her congratulations.

Stephen was equally excited. His head was full of Kit Smallbones'
exploits, and of the marvels of the sports he had witnessed and
joined in with fair success. He had thought Londoners poor