I told her the whole truth, and she looked at first as if she'd turn me out.

But the end of it was I stayed there for the night, and in the morning the old gentleman came again, and with him his lady, as kind and sharp of tongue as himself, and as big as three.

Some things she said made my tongue ache to speak back to her; but I choked it down.

I went to her to be a sort of nurse and maid.

She taught me how to do a hundred things, and by-and-by I couldn't be too thankful she had taken me in.