"Are you going away to work again next week?" asked the inquisitive Selina, who had heard the question.
"To be sure I am, pussy," answered her father.
Mrs. Brown breathed a sigh of relief, for this disposed of her first fear that something had gone wrong with the work, and he would have to go back to his old place once more.
She had prepared a nice little Saturday dinner for him, and this fear relieved, she said—
"There, come along, father, and have your dinner. What did you think of Selina's news?" asked Mrs. Brown, cheerfully, as she set the dinner on the table, and drew her husband's chair to its usual place.
"Oh, the chatterbox was in such a hurry to tell me everything at once that I shall have to hear it over again before I can quite understand all about it."
So Minnie volunteered to give this second and revised version of Eliza's story, and then Mrs. Brown added her share, and told him of the offer made for Eliza to go into the Vicarage nursery.
"Thank God for that!" said Brown, fervently; and his brow cleared, and he looked less anxious, his wife thought, during the remainder of the meal.
What could have happened to trouble him, she wondered. But there was no opportunity to ask him any questions just now, for Jack came in before dinner was over, and he wanted to tell his father all that had been going on at the factory during the week.
"Collins is a fool," was his final comment.