"Oh, Mr. Ben!" exclaimed she; "have you heard, sir?"

"What has happened to Miss Janet, Kitty?”

"Why, she has got her leg broke, and her arm wrenched and sprained so, that the doctor can hardly tell what is the matter with it. It's all swelled up, you see; and the bone of the leg he says is splintered, and he says it's a compoun' frakshure. But there, I don't pay much regard to what he says; it is that assistant that's got no more brains than a pumpkin. Dr. Bates wasn't at home himself, and couldn't be found, so that stoopid Tim said. But there, Mr. Ben, there was nobody to do nothing but the missis and me. The men be all 'mazed like; and as to Tim, though he did scurry off for the doctor after I had shrieked into his ears for a whole minute, he's more like a howl than a mortal lad. Then we hadn't got a saddle-horse in the stable; you see you'd got Nancy, and Barney was right off to the other end of the world or somewheres, else I do believe I should have popped Miss Janet's sidesaddle on, an' gone to look for Dr. Bates myself, just as I be, cap an' all, withouter bonnet!"

At the thought of going "cap an' all, withouter bonnet," Kitty gave way. The tears flowed fast, and the sobs were so loud, that Ben said gently

"Don't cry, Kitty! Don't cry!" Then he turned and walked softly upstairs.

Ben marched straight to Janet's door, stood for a moment, then tapped gently.

"Who is there?" sharply replied "that assistant."

"Please tell Mrs. Moss, Ben and the mare are at home, if she wants them."

"Mrs. Moss is engaged; do not disturb us, please," returned the important professional voice, in tones more peremptory than Dr. Bates would have thought of using to Mr. Benjamin Moss. But the young surgeon was nervous and worried; for, unfortunately for Janet Rushmere, hers was the first bone that he had ever had to set on his own responsibility. In addition to this, the young gentleman had not so much brain that he was absolutely minus conceit.

Of the latter fact Ben had an inkling, of the former he was not unsuspicious; and was not poor Jeannie being more or less victimised by this inexperienced young surgeon? He asked himself this, then with a few strides he cleared the stairs, and swung himself rapidly out at the door of the house; and when Kitty ran into the garden to take note of his hurried proceedings, he was on the back of Nancy.

'Going for Dr. Bates, or some one!" said he

with emphasis, as he espied the eager servingmaid. "Now, Nan, my beauty!"

That was enough. White Nancy knew her rôle; knew by the tones of her master's voice and the touch of his hand and knee, and in one moment she was bounding toward the village.

But Dr. Bates had gone to London on business, and Ben's best efforts did not succeed in getting a skilful surgeon to the Home Farm till the surgical work was done-after a fashion.

CHAPTER X.

"WHERE'S MR. Moss ?"

RS. NOBBS, the draper's widow, residing in the town of Tankley, not twenty

M

miles from London, was standing before the pier glass in her millinery show-room, trying on a daintily-shaped mob cap. "Yes," said she softly to herself, for she was alone, "this, I do believe, will do. And I don't see why I shouldn't wear it. I'm right down sick and tired o' them weeds!" Mrs. Nobbs was not fastidious about her style of speech. "I can't, for the life of me, see why a pretty white net dolly-varden, or something of that kind of thing, shouldn't do as well as them dead white things that are so trying to the complexion. Then I can dot some bugles over the crown, and put a bugle fringe round the edge of the inner border, and that will brighten it up. Yes, that will make it look wonderful pretty at

night, when the gas is lighted. People do say widows' caps with good long streamers are very becoming, but I never could take to them for myself. Ah! that will do. And, let me see, shall I trim it with black satin ribbon or silver grey? At any rate, I'll cut my hair short in the front, once more, and wear it in a fringe over my forehead, as I used to do before poor, dear William died. Yes, that will do, I——”

"Oh, Mrs. Nobbs, how charming!"

This sudden exclamation came from Miss Small, who had entered the room unperceived by the intensely preoccupied mistress of the house.

Miss Small was milliner and general assistant to Mrs. Nobbs, and she was small in every respect. Little enough, mentally and morally, to fawn and flatter, when it served her turn, and short enough in physical stature to stand with ease and comfort a little below the somewhat high shoulders of her mistress. She had very light eyelashes and scarcely any eyebrows; her eyes were pale blue, and in their general expression decidedly furtive -the gossips, her enemies, said "sinister," but that is such a hard word. No one, not even her mother, had ever known her to get into a passion. If she did happen to owe anyone a grudge, she "bided her time" to pay it; but she did pay it eventually, and that with interest, though not