Suki 



le 



Mary, and I were cosily talking round the 

 fire before SToino- to bed. 



" Please, Mrs. Hyde," said Sukie, ap- 

 pearing suddenly at the parlour door, "I've 

 come to say I want to leave." 



We all three stared at her, stricken into 

 silence by surprise. Sukie going to leave ? 

 Would the sea give notice, or was it pos- 

 sible that the sun would ever express a 

 wish to resign his position ? All the whole- 

 some red and brown of her face was curi- 

 ously blanched and her lips trembled. I 

 noticed then, with a little pang, that Sukie 

 was beginning to get old, so white was her 

 hair about her temples, and the dark bright 

 eyes more sunken than of old. 



'* Sukie ! " murmured my mother at last, 

 as if in a dream, and staring at her still. 



"Yes, I know, ma'am," she began inco- 

 herently, and then she suddenly flared out 

 with all the hot blood back In her face. 

 " It's all along o' them boys ; it's all the 

 fault of them being here ; and though the 

 Almighty may hear me, I say it's all them 

 boys ! " 



"But, Sukie," said Mary, pulling her 

 wits together as quickly as she could, " we 

 know, of course, how tiresome they are ; 

 but they are only boys, and you should not 

 take what they say and do so much to 



