“She has not been good, sir, I am sorry to say.  It isn’t often that I have to pull her up, but she has given me such a fright and trouble this afternoon as I am not likely to forget in a hurry.”

“What has she been doing?  But never mind; I will not detain you now.  I can hear about it when we get in.”

Nurse was evidently very disturbed in mind, for she poured into Sir Edward’s ear, directly they were inside the hall, a confused story:—­

“I was in the grocer’s, sir, and I knew I should be there some time; for cook, she gave me so many commissions I had to write a long list of them.  I said to Miss Milly, ’You can stand outside, but don’t go a step farther.’  She knows she is never allowed to speak to such people; I’ve known, as I told her, children being carried bodily off and set down at a street corner with hardly a rag on their backs; and to think of her marching off with him, and never a thought of my anxiety—­and the way I went rushing up and down the streets—­and the policemen—­they are perfectly useless to help a person, but can only stare at you and grin.  I’m sure I never expected to light eyes on her again, and I lost my purse and my best umbrella; I left them both somewhere, but it was nigh on two hours I spent, and my shopping not near done, and he the greatest looking rascal that one might see coming out of jail.  I’m sure I shouldn’t have been so angry but to see her smiling face, as if she hadn’t done any wrong at all, nor disobeyed me flatly, and most likely put herself in the way of catching the most infectious disease from the very look of him, and run the risk of being robbed and perhaps murdered, and not an idea in her head that she was a very naughty child, but quite expected me to see the reasonableness of it all!”

Nurse stopped for breath, whilst Milly’s hanging head, heaving chest, and quick sobs showed that by this time nurse’s words had quite convinced her of her wrong-doing.

Sir Edward was surprised at the interest he felt in his little niece’s trouble.

“I am afraid I cannot understand your story, nurse,” he said quietly; “but I daresay Miss Millicent will tell me herself.  Come into the study, child, with me.”

He took her hand in his, and led her away, while nurse looked after him in astonishment, and Ford, the old butler, standing by, said with great solemnity,—­

“You may well stare, nurse.  Mark my words, that child will be able to twist him round with her little finger one of these days.  I see it a-developin’.  It will be a terrible come-down to the master—­but there, I will say that the women always conquer, and they begin it when they’re in short frocks.”

“I don’t see the remarkableness in a gentleman taking notice of his own sister’s child,” returned nurse testily; “the wonder is that he should hold her at arm’s length as he does, and treat her as if she were a dog or a piece of furniture, without any feelings, and she his own flesh and blood, too.  There’s no ‘coming down’ to have a spark of humanity in his breast occasionally.”