With her heart beating very fast, but trying to look quite calm and unconcerned, she walked sturdily on.  As soon as she had got past him, she thought, and had turned the corner, she would race home as fast as her legs could carry her, and if she did spill some milk granny would forgive her when she knew how frightened she had been.  But the man evidently did not intend that she should pass him, for as she drew near he stood right in her path, and to prevent any chance of escape he seized her by the wrist.

“I’ve been looking for you, this long while,” he said roughly.  “Now don’t make a noise,” as Jessie screamed “help.”  “If you’re quiet I shan’t hurt you, but if you make a noise and bring a crowd round, I’ll thrash you to within an inch of your life.  Do you hear?”

“Let me go,” wailed Jessie, struggling to release her wrist.  “I must go home, granny’s waiting for me, she is ill.”

“And I’ve been waiting for you longer than ‘granny’ has.  I’ve been waiting hours.  Your grandfather’s gone away, isn’t he?”

“Yes, to Norton.”

“That’s all right.”

“He’ll be home soon,” retorted Jessie, in the vain hope of frightening the man.  “Oh, do let me go, please! granny is ill, and waiting for me to take her her dinner.”

“I’ve waited longer for my dinner than ever she has.  You shall bring me mine instead.  In bed, is she?”

“Yes,” sobbed Jessie.

“That’s all right.”

“Oh, would no one ever come,” Jessie wondered, looking frantically about her.

The man read her thoughts and actions.  “No, it isn’t likely there’ll be anybody about just yet, they are all to market, or off somewhere.  I took care to choose my time well.  Is your grandfather coming home by train?”

“Yes,” sobbed Jessie.  “Oh, please let me go.  What do you want?  I haven’t got any money—­”

“It’s you I want, yourself, Jessie Lang.”

Jessie looked up in surprise, wondering how he knew her name.  She had thought him a tramp only, though a particularly horrible one.  Now a deeper fear crept into her heart, causing her to feel sick and faint with alarm, and a dread of she hardly knew what.

“Why do you want me?” she gasped, trembling, scarcely able to form her words, so furiously was her poor little heart beating.

“Why do I want you?  ’Cause I’m your own father, and I’ve been robbed of you for five years!  Natural enough, isn’t it, that a man should want his own child to come and look after him?”

“But I’ve got to look after granny and granp,” gasped Jessie, “they are old, and granny’s ill, and—­and they’ve taken care of me all this time, and now I’ve got to take care of them.  I’m very sorry, but I can’t look after you too.”

“Dear me!” muttered the man.  “How polite we are!  But whether you can or you can’t, you’ve got to!  I think it’s a pity they haven’t brought you up better, and taught you your duty to your father.  Well, I can’t be wasting any more time here.  We’ve got a long journey before us.”