“It’s very nice, and me and Sanch are lots obliged, ma’am,” murmured Ben, getting red and bashful under the three pairs of friendly eyes fixed upon him.

Bab and Betty were doing up the tea-things with unusual dispatch, so that they might entertain their guest, and just as Ben spoke Bab dropped a cup.  To her great surprise no smash followed, for, bending quickly, the boy caught it as it fell, and presented it to her on the back of his hand with a little bow.

“Gracious! how could you do it?” asked Bab, looking as if she thought there was magic about it.

“That’s nothing; look here,” and taking two plates Ben sent them spinning up into the air, catching and throwing so rapidly that Bab and Betty stood with their mouths open, as if to swallow the plates should they fall, while Mrs. Moss, with her dish-cloth suspended, watched the antics of her crockery with a housewife’s anxiety.

“That does beat all!” was the only exclamation she had time to make, for, as if desirous of showing his gratitude in the only way he could, Ben took several clothes-pins from a basket near by, sent several saucers twirling up, caught them on the pins, balanced the pins on chin, nose, forehead, and went walking about with a new and peculiar sort of toad-stool ornamenting his countenance.

[Illustration:  “BEN PRESENTED IT TO HER ON THE BACK OF HIS HAND.”]

The children were immensely tickled, and Mrs. Moss was so amused she would have lent her best soup-tureen if he had expressed a wish for it.  But Ben was too tired to show all his accomplishments at once, and he soon stopped, looking as if he almost regretted having betrayed that he possessed any.

“I guess you’ve been in the juggling business,” said Mrs. Moss, with a wise nod, for she saw the same look on his face as when he said his name was Ben Brown,—­the look of one who was not telling the whole truth.

“Yes, ’m.  I used to help Senior Pedro, the Wizard of the World, and I learned some of his tricks,” stammered Ben, trying to seem innocent.

“Now, look here, boy, you’d better tell me the whole story, and tell it true, or I shall have to send you up to Judge Allen.  I wouldn’t like to do that, for he is a harsh sort of a man; so, if you haven’t done anything bad, you needn’t be afraid to speak out, and I’ll do what I can for you,” said Mrs. Moss, rather sternly, as she went and sat down in her rocking-chair, as if about to open the court.

“I haven’t done anything bad, and I aint afraid, only I don’t want to go back; and if I tell, may be you’ll let ’em know where I be,” said Ben, much distressed between his longing to confide in his new friend and his fear of his old enemies.

“If they abused you, of course I wouldn’t.  Tell the truth and I’ll stand by you.  Girls, you go for the milk.”

“Oh, Ma, do let us stay!  We’ll never tell, truly, truly!” cried Bab and Betty, full of dismay at being sent off when secrets were about to be divulged.