"'No, I won't forgit. Anythink about M. Felix, do you mean?'
"'All right, old 'un. I'll choo it over.' Here Sophy dropped her voice, and asked, 'Is Aunt outside?'
"'Try me,' said Sophy, holding out the little finger of her left hand.
"'Pinch my nail as 'ard as you can. Never mind 'urting me. As 'ard as ever you can.
"Our reporter complied, and Sophy went audibly through the entire alphabet, from A to Y Z.
"'There,' said Sophy, 'did I scream when I came to O?'
"'You did not,' said our reporter, remembering the child's game. 'You bore it like a brick.'
"'It does. Well, then, don't tell your aunt that I gave you my card, or asked you to come and see me.'
"Giving him a friendly wink, Sophy went on her knees, and made a pretence of being very hard at work cleaning the grate. The last words he heard were:
"'Pickcher of Sophy wearin' 'erself to skin and bone. Ain't I busy?'"
OUR REPORTER GIVES MRS. MIDDLEMORE SOME SENSIBLE ADVICE.
"Rejoining Mrs. Middlemore, our reporter informed her that he was satisfied that Sophy had heard nothing in the night.
"'Of course she didn't,' said Mrs. Middlemore. 'Once she's in bed she lays like a log.'
"'She's a sharp little thing,' observed our reporter.
"'Sharp ain't the word, sir. What's going to be the end of her is more than I can fathom.'
"'If he can be called one. Drunk half his time, in trouble the other half.'
"'So that poor Sophy has to look after herself?'
"'Pretty well. She does odd jobs, and picks up a bit 'ere and a bit there. When M. Felix first come to live 'ere I'd made up my mind to 'ave 'er altogether with me, though she'd 'ave worrited the life out of me, I know she would; but he wouldn't let me 'ave nobody in the house but 'im, and wouldn't let nobody sleep in it a single night, so I 'ad to disappoint the child. I did take 'er in once or twice when she came round to me almost black and bloo with the way 'er brute of a father had served 'er, but I 'ad to be careful that M. Felix shouldn't see 'er--smuggling 'er into the kitchen when he was away, and letting 'er out very early in the morning--or I should never 'ave 'eard the last of it.'
"'You are the only friend the girl has, it seems?'
"'Mind what I tell you, Mrs. Middlemore,' said our reporter, with the kindest intentions, 'there's capital stuff in Sophy. Now that M. Felix is gone it would be a charity to adopt her, if you haven't any of your own.'