“Would they recognise him—­so far from where they lost him?”

“Oh yes, ma’am, and he’d know them and Charlie, and he’d be sure to run up to speak to Charlie.”

“Very well; you leave Dick here with me.  I’ll be glad to have him for company while you’re gone; you’d better start before the day gets any hotter.  Tell Miss Rose, that if she can spare the time, and it isn’t very inconvenient I’d be very much obliged if she could come to see me to-day.  You’ll remember, won’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am, I’ll tell her you’m bad in bed.”

“I wish,” began Mrs. Perry, then hesitated, her eyes glancing over the shabby little maiden standing by her bedside.  “I wish you weren’t quite so—­I wish you were a little tidier.”

Huldah flushed under her glance.  “My face and hands is clean,” she said, shyly, “and I’ll put the sweeping-brush over my hair—­”

Mrs. Perry smiled, in spite of herself.  “No, don’t do that, child; take and use that one over there by the looking-glass; but ’twas your frock I was thinking about, and your apron is too ragged and dirty to see a lady in.  I don’t suppose you could wear one of mine—­it’d be too long, wouldn’t it?”

“I’m ’fraid it would, ma’am, but I’ll try, if you like.”

“There’s one there on the chair by the door; hold it up against you, and let me see how it looks.”

Huldah took the apron shyly, and held it round her waist.  It hung far below her frock, and reached the top of her foot, but it hid her shabby old frock, and certainly gave her a cleaner look.

“P’raps if I tied it round under my arms it would look better,” she suggested.  She was very anxious to be a credit to her new friend, and she was even more anxious not to shock Miss Rose, at first sight, by her disreputable appearance.

“Yes, that will do,” agreed Mrs. Perry, approvingly, and Huldah, quite unconscious of the funny figure she cut, started off in high spirits.

“Go to the top of the lane till you reach the high road, then turn to your right, and keep straight on till you come to the church and the vicarage.  Go to the back door and knock gently, and ask to see Miss Rose.  Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.  Can I do anything more for you before I go?”

“No, thank you.  Keep in the shade as much as you can; it is going to be dreadfully hot again, I b’lieve.”

In the lane, in spite of the shade, the heat was already stifling, the high hedges seemed to shut it in, and to keep out the air.  Huldah, hurrying along over the rough ground, felt her face growing scarlet, and her breath coming quick.  She was almost glad to get out on the high road, for though the glare of the sun was blinding, and there was no shade, it was less stifling there; but it was not the discomfort that she minded so much, her great desire was to look her best when she had to face Miss Rose.  So she walked on the grass by the road-side, to keep her from getting dusty, and every now and then her hands went up to her cheeks, to feel if they were very, very hot; and indeed, between nervousness, and the heat, her cheeks were very, very scarlet by the time she reached the vicarage, and had found the back door.