\"i\"m going to take my tea wi\" her father, i am!\"

but he slouched his cap low down over his brow as he went out into thestreet, and looked neither to the right nor to the left, while he trampedalong by margaret\"s side; he feared being upset by the words, still morethe looks, of sympathising neighbours. so he and margaret walked insilence.

as he got near the street in which he knew she lived, he looked down athis clothes, his hands, and shoes.

\"i should m\"appen ha\" cleaned mysel\", first?\"

it certainly would hāve been desirable, but margaret assured him heshould be allowed to go into the yard, and hāve soap and towelprovided; she could not let him slip out of her hands just then.

while he followed the house-servant along the passage, and through thekitchen, stepping cautiously on every dark mark in the pattern of the oilcloth,in order to conceal his dirty foot-prints, margaret ran upstairs.

she met dixon on the landing.

\"how is mamma?--where is papa?\"

missus was tired, and gone into her own room. she had wanted to go tobed, but dixon had persuaded her to lie down on the sofa, and hāve hertea brought to her there; it would be better than getting restless by beingtoo long in bed.

so far, so good. but where was mr. hale? in the drawing-room.

margaret went in half breathless with the hurried story she had to tell.

of course, she told it inpletely; and her father was rather \"takenaback\" by the idea of the drunken weāver awaiting him in his quietstudy, with whom he was expected to drink tea, and on whose behalfmargaret was anxiously pleading. the meek, kind-hearted mr. halewould hāve readily tried to console him in his grief, but, unluckily, thepoint margaret dwelt upon most forcibly was the fact of his hāving beendrinking, and her hāving brought him home with her as a last expedientto keep him from the gin-shop. one little event had e out of anotherso naturally that margaret was hardly conscious of what she had done,till she saw the slight look of repugnance on her father\"s face.

\"oh, papa! he really is a man you will not dislike--if you won\"t beshocked to begin with.\"

\"but, margaret, to bring a drunken man home--and your mother so ill!\"

margaret\"s countenance fell. \"i am sorry, papa. he is very quiet--he isnot tipsy at all. he was only rather strange at first, but that might be theshock of poor bessy\"s death.\" margaret\"s eyes filled with tears. mr. haletook hold of her sweet pleading face in both his hands, and kissed her

forehead.

..,＃txt＄！小＠说＆

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