"Him? Whom?"
"Cranky Brown, mum," returned the child; "him as did it this morning. Me and Billy knowed him, mum; he was a mate of ours, and we wanted to know if he looked happy."
"What do you mean, child?" said she, with a strange terror at her heart; and then, filled with pity at the aspect of the little being, she drew him to her, with sudden womanly instinct, and kissed him.
He looked up at her with joyful surprise. "Oh!" he said.
Sylvia kissed him again.
"Does nobody ever kiss you, poor little man?" said she.
"Mother used to," was the reply; "but she's at home. Oh, mem," with a sudden crimsoning of the little face, "may I fetch Billy?"
And taking courage from the bright young face, he gravely marched to an angle of the rock, and brought out another little creature, with another gray uniform, and another hammer.
"This is Billy, mum," he said. "Billy never had no mother. Kiss Billy."
The young wife felt the tears rush to her eyes.