Teddy ran with the towel; and as his mother hastily wrapped her little charge in her apron, and reseated herself before the fire, he caught sight of two great bright eyes staring up at him, and joyfully cried,—­

“She’s alive, she’s alive! and she’ll be my little sister, and we’ll keep her always, won’t we, mother?”

“Wait, thin, till we see if it’s here she is in the morning, said his mother mysteriously.

“And where else would she be, if not here?” asked Teddy in surprise.

“If it war the good folks, Meaning the fairies, whom the Irish people call by this name. that browt her, it’s they that will fetch her away agin ‘fore the daylight.  Wait till mornin’, Teddy darlint.”

But, in spite of her suspicions, Mrs. Ginniss did all for the little stranger that she could have done for her own child, even to heating and giving to her the cupful of milk reserved for her own “tay” during the next day, and warming her in her own bosom all through the long, cold night.

CHAPTER VIII.

The fayver.

“And is she here, mother?” asked Teddy, rushing into his mother’s room next morning as soon as there was light enough to see.

“Yis, b’y, she’s here; but it’s not long she’ll be, savin’ the mercy o’ God.  It’s the heavy sickness that’s on her the morn.”

“And will she die, mother?”

“The good Lord knows, not the likes of me, Teddy darlint.”

“And you’ll keep her, and do for her, mother, won’t you?” asked the boy anxiously.

“Sure and it wouldn’t be Judy Ginniss that’d turn out a dying child, let alone sending her to the poor’us.  Thim that sint her to us will sind us the manes to kape her,” said the Irish woman confidently; and leaving her little moaning, feverish charge dozing uneasily, she rose, and went about the labors of the day.

“Here’s the masther’s shirts done, Teddy; and ye’d betther take thim to his lodgings before yees go to the office.  More by token, it’s him as u’d tell us what we’d ought to be doin’ wid the darlint, if she lives, or if she dies.  Tell the masther all ye know uv her, Teddy; an’ ax him to set us sthraight.”

“No, no, mother!” exclaimed Teddy eagerly; “I’ll be doing no such thing:  for it’s ourselves wants her, and any thing the master would say would take her away from us.  Sure and how often I’ve said I’d give all ever I had for a little sister to be my own, and love me, and go walking with me, and be took care by me; and, now one is sent, if it’s the good folks or if it’s the good God sent her, I’m going to keep her all myself.  Sure, mother, you’ll never be crossing me in this, when it’s yourself never crossed me yet; and more by token, it’ll keep me out of the streets, and such.”

“Thrue for ye, Teddy; though it’s you was alluz the good b’y to shtop at home, an’ niver ax fur coompany savin’ yer poor owld mother,” said the washerwoman, looking fondly at her son.