"Why, bless your heart, if that is all," said Judy, "I can soon tell ye what I will be afther, doing for myself, I will wear what I have, till Miss Norah, the darlint, buys me an illegant one wid flowers as big as me hand. It's a real fit anyhow;" and she surveyed Norah in it with admiring eyes; "not a dressmaker in the city could bate it."
After watching from eight o'clock until ten, Norah was at last rewarded by a sight of Mr. Ellison and his wife.
She opened the door in answer to their knock, and gave to Mrs. Ellison the only chair the room afforded, while Mr. Ellison seated himself upon the chest.
"Judy stepped into a neighbor's to borrow a tub," said Norah, as she leaned against the fire-place, her face coloring as she saw the lady looking intently upon her.
Aunt Hannah's suggestions in regard to little Kate had led Mrs. Ellison almost to determine not to engage the girl, and yet in talking with her an interest was awakened. Surely she had seen that face before—but where? The sweet expression of the mouth, the blue eyes, shaded by their dark lashes, seemed as the reminiscence of an early dream.
"John, I have it now," she suddenly exclaimed. "It is my sister Ella's face. I was young when Ella married and went to India, but I am sure the resemblance is close. Could this girl possibly be in any way connected with her?"
Before Mr. Ellison could reply, Judy came in. In answer to their questions she told her story.
"It was fourteen years ago last summer I came over in a ship to this counthry. My man Michael and my baby were wid me when I started, but two days afther we sailed my baby died, and was buried in the say. My heart was well-nigh broke, and as I sat crooning one day, a lady wid a baby about the age of mine, came to me and put her on my lap. I felt the betther for that, madam; and many a time afther that day I nursed and carried the little baby, and she learned to love me, I assure ye of that.
"The lady told me about herself; how she had been to a far off counthry, where her husband died. Then she started to come home, and many weary months was she on the way, sometimes obliged to lay by for weeks, until her money was spint, and then she feared she niver should see her own counthry. She resaved no answer to the many letters she had sint; and when she rached Liverpool she had barely enough money to pay her passage to New York.
"The second week we were on the wather the cholera broke out, and the misery of that time I shall niver forget. I was one of the first taken down with it, but I soon got over it; but och, my dear good lady, there was poor Michael, my husband; he died in sax hours afther he was taken.