Page 19 - An Australian Lassie

The old man turned sharply to the wondering boy.

"Ts this a trick of yours, John?" he demanded sharply.

"No," said Betty, "it's--it's only me," and she looked straight into her grandfather's face, although her voice
was trembling.

"And who are only you?"

The child hesitated. Tn a vague way she felt she would be doing her mother's and Cyril's great future an injury
to tell her name. And yet, quick-witted as she was, it did not occur to her to find a new one.

The young face in the old black bonnet looked beseechingly into the man's.

"Please don't ask my name," she begged.

"Take off your bonnet."

She put Baby on the floor at her feet and pulled off her bonnet. And her dark curly hair fell loosely around her
odd white face.

"Now--your name!" shouted the old captain, as if he were calling to a sailor high up a mast.

"Elizabeth Bruce," faltered the girl, for her reason showed her in a second how John Brown would give it if
she did not.

A certain gleam that had been in the old man's eyes went away and his brow grew black as thunder. Betty
instinctively picked up the baby again and gathered up the train of her dress.

"Ah!" said the old man, breathing hard.

Then suddenly a light dawned on Betty and she saw things as this old man would see them, which was the
very way of all others that he must not do.

She repeated swiftly to herself her old charm against fear--"No Bruce is afraid. T can only die once. He won't
eat me."

"Tt's all my fault," she said, and her brown eyes looked into his brown ones. "Cyril and T got tried of being
poor, and T--T thought it would be a good plan if you adopted Cyril--and--and T came to frighten you."

"Ah----"

"T thought you were old, and--and--might be sorry now, and T thought a bit of a fright--T thought if a ghost— "

Her chain clanked and her hands trembled, and Baby bumped up and down in her arms. The very
remembrance of her words left her, for a great frown was spreading over the old man's face. He turned angrily
to the boy.

"Put her out of the door," he said. "Put her out of the place!" and some hot words, fearful and unintelligible
some of them to the small girl, burst from his lips.

And Betty, Baby and chain and all went out into the darkness. Only the bonnet remained.