In an instant, without thought of consequences, the child darted to the nursery door and down the broad oak staircase.

“Poor pussy, I will run and fetch her in.  I expect she has run away from the kitchen.”

Sir Edward was writing at his study table, when an unusually violent gust of wind caused him to raise his eyes and glance out of the window.  There, to his amazement, he saw, under the old oak tree on the lawn, his little niece, her golden brown curls flying as she battled with the elements, and struggled vainly to stoop and take the kitten in her arms.

He started up from his seat, but as he did so a blast that shook the house swept by; there was an awful cracking, then a crash, and, to his horror, a huge limb of the old oak came with an awful thud upon the very spot where his little niece was standing.

“My God, save her!” was his agonized cry, as he saw at the same moment the little figure stagger and fall.  Then, forgetting his weakness and lack of physical strength, he dashed out of the house, and in another instant was standing over her.

His first feeling was one of intense thankfulness to find that the branch in falling could have only slightly grazed her, as she was lying on the ground untouched by it; but as he raised the motionless figure, and noted a red mark on her forehead which was swelling rapidly, his heart sank within him.  It did not take him long to carry her into her house, and he was met at the door by nurse, who wisely wasted no time in useless lamentation, but set to work at once to restore animation to her little charge.  Her efforts were successful.  Milly was only slightly stunned, but it had been a miraculous escape, and had the blow been an inch nearer her temple it might have been fatal.  As it was, the child was more frightened than hurt, and when a little time after her uncle took her in his arms with unwonted tenderness, she clung to him and burst into passionate sobs.

“Take care of me, uncle!  That nasty old Goliath!  He tried to kill me, he did!  I saw him coming on the top of me.  God only just saved me in time, didn’t He?”

When the bruise had been bathed and dressed by nurse, Sir Edward still kept her on his knee, and after nurse had left the room, and the child rested her little head on his shoulder in a very subdued frame of mind, he did, what he had never done yet—­stooped over her and kissed her, saying: 

“You have been very near death this afternoon, little one, and I could ill have spared you.”

Milly raised her large dark eyes to his.

“If I had died I should have gone straight up to God, shouldn’t I?”

“Yes, you would.”

“I should have liked that.  I suppose He doesn’t want me yet, or He would have sent for me.”

When she came down to her uncle that evening she raised a very sad little face to his from the opposite side of the table.

“Uncle Edward, have you heard who Goliath really did kill?”