"It is time to dismiss school."

"I am not sorry for that; send the darlings home."

"And another thing, Tom Moore, you must never come here again during school hours. It is impossible to control the children when you are around."

Moore laughed.

"You had them nicely controlled when I arrived, didn't you?" said he.

"Oh, well, I'll come later and stay longer. Dismiss them."

Bessie rang the bell, and school broke up for the day immediately.

_Chapter Four_

_THE BLACKMAILING OF TOM MOORE_

After bidding good-bye to the visitor most of the children crowded noisily out of the door, rejoicing at their resumption of freedom, but Patsy, he of the red hair, seated himself deliberately on the front bench and immediately became deeply interested in his arithmetic, his presence for the moment being completely overlooked by Moore, whose attention was attracted by the attempt of a ragged little miss to make an unnoticed exit.

"Little girl," said Moore, gently, "why are you going without saying good-bye to me? What have I done to deserve such treatment from a young lady?"

The child thus reproached, a tiny blonde-haired maiden, dressed in a faded and ragged frock, looked timidly at her questioner, and flushed to her temples.

"I thought you would n't want to say good-bye to me, sir," she answered, shyly.

"And why not, alanna?"

"'Cause I 'm poor," she whispered.

A tender look came into Moore's eyes and he crossed to the side of the child, his generous heart full of pity for the little one's embarra.s.sment.

"I 'm poor, too," he said, patting her yellow curls. "Where do you live, my dear?"

"Down by the Mill, sir, with my auntie."

"And is this the best dress she can give you?" he asked, trying the texture of the little gown and finding it threadbare and thin.

The child looked down at her feet, for the moment abashed, then raising her eyes to the young man's face, read only sympathy and tenderness there, and, thus encouraged, answered bravely:

"It is better than _hers_."

"Then we can't complain, dear, can we? Of course not, but is n't it very thin?"

"Yes, sir, but I would n't mind if it was a bit more stylish."

Moore looked at Bessie, smiling at this characteristic manifestation of femininity.

"The size of her!" he said. "With a woman's vanity already."

Then, turning to the child again, he continued:

"Well, we poor people must stick together. I 'll call on your aunt to-morrow."

"Will you?" cried the girl in delight. "And you 'll sing to us?"

"That I will," said Moore, heartily. "Now run along like a good girl, and mind me, dear, never be ashamed of your honest poverty. Remember that the best man of us all slept in a manger."

"Yes, sir," responded the child, happily, "I 'll not forget."

As she started for the door Moore called her back and put a shilling in her little pink palm.

"What will you do with it?" he asked, chucking her under the chin.

"Buy a ribbon, sir."

"A ribbon?" echoed Moore in imitation of her jubilant tone.

"For me auntie."

"Bless your generous little heart," said Moore, drawing another coin from his pocket. "There is the like of it for yourself. Buy one for each of you. Now off you go. Good-bye."

The child ran lightly to the door, but, as she reached the steps, turned, as though struck by a sudden thought, and beckoned to Moore.

"You may kiss me, sir," she announced with as much dignity as though she were bestowing upon her benefactor some priceless gift, as indeed she was, for certainly she possessed nothing more valuable. Then, after he had availed himself of her offer, she courtesied with childish grace and trotted gayly off, her two precious shillings tightly clutched in her hand. Believing himself to be alone with Bessie, Moore hastened toward her with outstretched arms, but was suddenly made aware of the presence of a third party by Patsy, who discreetly cleared his throat as he sat immersed in his book.

Moore turned to Bessie.

"What is that lad doing there?" he whispered. "Does n't he know school is over?"

"How should I know?" she answered, though a glint of fun in her eyes showed she was not without her suspicion as to the reason of Patsy's presence.

"You might ask him what he wants," she suggested encouragingly.

"I will," said Moore, approaching the interrupter of his wooing with a disapproving expression upon his face.

"Look here, my son, don't you know school is dismissed?"

"Yis, sir," replied Patsy, loudly.

"And yet you are still here?"

"Yis, sir."

"Bad luck to you, can't you say anything but 'Yis, sir'?"

"No, sir," responded Patsy, not at all intimidated by Moore's glowering looks.