40 A LOOK AT MY ONCE HAPPY HOME. 



supper and my money, for they paid me at 

 this house every day. u I haven't got your 

 two shillings for you," said the maid ; " for 

 master and mistress went out, and I suppose 

 forgot it." She saw me turn colour a bit, I 

 dare say, for she said, " I can let you have 

 it out of my own money, if you like ;" but I 

 hastily said, " No, thank you ;" and putting 

 my supper in my basket, went off home. My 

 way was through a field, with a roundish hill 

 and a plantation in it, and the paths went 

 right and left from the stile to the two ends 

 of the village ; and the right-hand one was 

 my proper track. I never went the other 

 way, for it took me past my old happy home, 

 and I couldn't bear the sight of it. Things 

 never looked worse than they did this even- 

 ing ; for I thought of my home, and my sick 

 boy, and my quite empty pocket. Why I 

 did it, I can't tell, but I took the left-hand 

 path this time, and struck up to the side of 

 the plantation that looked right down on the 

 cottage. It was empty, for the man that got 

 my place was gone ] and the clergyman, 

 when he told us he was going away, once 

 when he came to see our sick boy, said that 

 the squire had told him he'd engaged an- 



