Ida thought she had never seen before so disgusting a man.  She continued to gaze at him, half in astonishment, half in terror, till the object of her attention exclaimed,—­

“Well, little girl, what you’re looking at?  Hain’t you never seen a gentleman before?”

Ida clung the closer to her companion, who, she was surprised to find, did not resent the man’s impertinence.

“Well, Dick, how’ve you got along since I’ve been gone?” asked Mrs. Hardwick, to Ida’s unbounded astonishment.

“Oh, so so.”

“Have you felt lonely any?”

“I’ve had good company.”

“Who’s been here?”

Dick pointed significantly to a jug, which stood beside his chair.

“So you’ve brought the gal.  How did you get hold of her?”

There was something in these questions which terrified Ida.  It seemed to indicate a degree of complicity between these two, which boded no good to her.

“I’ll tell you the particulars by and by,” said the nurse, looking significantly at the child’s expressive face.

At the same time she began to take off her bonnet.

“You ain’t going to stop, are you?” whispered Ida.

“Ain’t going to stop!” repeated the man called Dick.  “Why shouldn’t she?  Ain’t she at home?”

“At home!” echoed Ida, apprehensively, opening wide her eyes in astonishment.

“Yes, ask her.”

Ida looked, inquiringly, at Mrs. Hardwick.

“You might as well take off your things,” said the latter, grimly.  “We ain’t going any farther to-day.”

“And where’s the lady you said you were going to see?” asked the child, bewildered.

“The one that was interested in you?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I’m the one.”

“You!”

“Yes.”

“I don’t want to stay here,” said Ida, becoming frightened.

“Well, what are you going to do about it?” asked the woman, mockingly.

“Will you take me back early to-morrow?”

“No, I don’t intend to take you back at all,” said the nurse, coolly.

Ida seemed stupefied with astonishment and terror at first.  Then, actuated by a sudden impulse, she ran to the door, and had got it open when the nurse sprang forward, and seizing her by the arm, dragged her rudely back.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?” she demanded, roughly.

“Back to father and mother,” said Ida, bursting into tears.  “Oh, why did you carry me away?”

“I’ll tell you why,” answered Dick, jocularly.  “You see, Ida, we ain’t got any little girl to love us, and so we got you.”

“But I don’t love you, and I never shall,” said Ida, indignantly.

“Now don’t you go to saying that,” said Dick.  “You’ll break my heart, you will, and then Peg will be a widow.”

To give effect to this pathetic speech, Dick drew out a tattered red handkerchief, and made a great demonstration of wiping his eyes.