WEIRD SISTERS. 291 



vowing that she would never " darken the door 0' 

 Halligarth again." But her vow did not prevent her 

 from coming within the precincts of the home-farm to 

 see the children she loved. 



Lalya and myself were (in later times) her particular 

 petSj and when one, or other, of us was playing out-of- 

 doors and a little way from the house, suddenly and 

 stealthily Gonga would appear from behind a wall and 

 almost smother us with hugs and sweeties. We would 

 cling to her, and cry, and beg her to come back to the 

 house ; but Gonga was obstinate, and continued to sulk 

 — her heart torn all the time — until it would happen 

 that, on some such occasion, our father would appear 

 on the scene. He saw a great deal that children and 

 servants never dreamed he saw, and was quite aware 

 of Gonga's stolen visits. 



As if by mere accident he would come upon her 

 with us, and would say, as if she had but paused from 

 some farm- work for a few minutes, " Oh, is that you ? 

 There's yon roogue o' fsells " (pile of sods) " to be carried 

 into the easter-park, you'd better begin at it to- 

 morrow." 



On the morrow Gonga with her keshie on her back 

 would be busily employed transferring the roogue as if 

 there had been no interruption in her service, and later 

 she would join the other servants in the house, and no 

 retrospective remarks were made, but all were glad to 

 have Gonga back. 



Our mother did not like, not understanding, such 

 ways ; but she could forgive much to Gonga, who had 



