again,' said Bell, regretfully, but I should know him anywhere.'

'Did you ever have a cat's feast again?' asked Dora, to whom the recital was more interesting than a fairy tale.

Bell shook her head. 'No; and I was frightened of asking people for money, lest the p'liceman should see me.'

What else did you do besides selling cats' meat?' asked Alice.

'I sold posies,' said Bell; 'pretty flowers, such as grow here: forget-menots, and violets, and rose-buds, and sometimes groundsel for canary-birds.'

That was jolly work, wasn't it?' said Gilbert.

6

6

Bell heaved a deep sigh. It made my legs ache so,' said the poor child; and people so often would not buy, and then they beat me again at home, so that I hardly dared go back.'

Who lived in your home?' said Alice, indignantly. It could not have been your father and mother, or they would not have ill-used you.'

"They called them Jim and Meg,' said Bell; but no, they weren't my father and mother. I don't think I ever had any, Miss Alice; but it was Jim gave me to Mr. Pottinger. My legs fell weak and they could make nothing of me, so I was put to the lion - taming, being light work.'

And do you like lion-taming?' asked Gilbert.

But here Bell fell silent. Like the sick woman in the cart, she seemed to be afraid to talk of her present life, the master evidently had them both well in hand.

CHAPTER VII.

'BUT, Bell, before you lived in London ?' asked Dora, feeling that it would not be

civil to press her new friend on a subject she wished to avoid; tell us about that.' 'I've nearly forgot,' said Bell; 'it's so long since, and it seems so far away.'

But you were not born in London,' said Gilbert, remembering the child's mention of Manchester in the church.

'No,' said Bell, and then again paused.

It seemed so loud and noisy in the street when first I came to London,' she said. 'Some one was good to me then, though, and I think I called him Daddy. By-and-bye he died, and there was only Meg and Jim. Before coming to London we had muffins for tea,' said poor Bell, looking back into the dim corners of the storehouse of her memory, and, childlike, finding only such trifles there as impress children; 'and I had a red frock and beads. I've got the beads now; at least, she has,' said the child, jerking her head towards the place where the cart was standing. Bell never called Mrs. Pottinger anything but 'she.'

Then you must have been better off than you are now,' reasoned Gilbert, who meant to be a barrister, and liked arguing out a case.

This went over Bell's head, however.

"They were nice beads,' she said, musingly, 'with a bit of writing on the clasp. By-and-bye, when I get clever, I shall know what it is: but she won't let me wear them; and I know why,' said Bell, shaking her head wisely.

'Perhaps she wants them herself?' said Gilbert to try the child.

'No, she don't,' said Bell, almost fiercely; 'she don't want anything, and she's good to me. I think,' said the little girl, looking carefully round, 'she's afraid any one else should want them off me if they saw them but when I'm big I shall have them.'

Be a lady's servant, like my mother,'

said Bell, promptly.

'But you said you had no mother,' broke in Gilbert, delighted to have got up a contradiction in the cross-examination.

'Did I?' said Bell, not a bit perplexed. "Well, and I never had one to know of; but Daddy said that, and I told it her, and she said it might be, for the necklace looked like a real lady's.'

Then your mother was a lady's servant, and lived in Manchester, and died there, perhaps, and you came to London with the man called Daddy?' said Alice, putting the case together.

But Bell was tired, and did not seem to recognise her early history in this form. Alice had one more question to ask, however.

'Did none of these people teach you to say prayers, Bell, or tell you about God, and Heaven, and Jesus Christ?'

Bell shook her head.

'But there are churches in Londonplenty,' said Alice.

'Not for me,' said poor Bell. I did peep into one where there was music, but a man in a red collar and cuffs pushed me out. Perhaps they don't all do it, but this one did, and I never tried another. Besides, Jim and Meg never went to church, nor Daddy either, though I sat on his knee.'

Poor little Bell! this was almost her only clear recollection of kind treatment in her babyhood: for, supposing she had had kind parents, able and willing to make her life pleasant, they must have. vanished out of her world before they had made a mark on her memory.

'Bell,' said Gilbert, suddenly, 'I think you've been among lions all your life.'

"No I haven't,' said Bell; only lately, since they gave me to the master.'

I know what he means, dear,' said Dora, gently. 'Don't you see, bad people are lions, and bad examples, like you have always had about you? Oh, dear! I wish we could have you always at Moor, and make you quite good.'

And are you always quite good then, Miss Dora?' said Gilbert, pulling her hair. Dora blushed.

Oh, Gilbert, no! I'm the naughty one, nurse says. But I don't mean to be, and I've always got people to tell me when I'm wrong, and the Bible, and the Prayerbook, and church, and father; but poor Bell has none of these things. What will she do when she goes away? She says they are to move to South Cross next week.'

'She can say her prayers,' said Alice. "God will be there, too.'

And I can sing the Marching Hymn on Sundays,' said Bell; when the lions are making a noise the master won't hear me, and she likes it. But I don't want to go; I'd rather stay with Miss Brett. Only for her, while she's ill,'—and here Bell looked anxiously all round again,— 'I'd run away.'

too.

'Oh, Bell, no! don't do that!' said Alice; it wouldn't be right; and you are so little, Don't be afraid: even if you do go away father will never forget you; and very likely you may soon came back to Moor.'

' And we'll come to South Cross and see you do the lion-taming,' added Gilbert: 'it's only a six-mile drive. It would be fun, I think; and father is sure to give us leave.'

(To be continued.)