"
"I--I didn't know about him," said Samuel. "Why should he---"
"He helps everyone," said the child. "That's his business."
"How do you mean?"
"Don't you know who my father is?" she asked in surprise.
"No," said he, "I don't."
"My father is Dr. Vince," she said; and then she gazed at him with
wide-open eyes. "You've never heard of him!"
"Never," said Samuel.
"He's a clergyman," said the little girl.
"A clergyman!" echoed Samuel aghast. Somehow it seemed far worse to
have been robbing a clergyman.
"And he's so good and kind!" went on the other. "He loves everyone,
and tries to help them. And if you had come to him and told him, he'd
have found some work for you."
"There are a great many people in Lockmanville out of work," said
Samuel gravely.
"Oh! but they don't come to my papa!" said the child. "You must come
and let him help you. You must promise me that you will."
"But how can I? I've tried to rob him!"
"But that won't make any difference! You don't know my papa. If you
should tell him that you had done wrong and that you were sorry--you
are sorry, aren't you?"
"Yes, I'm very sorry."
"Well, then, if you told him that, he'd forgive you--he'd do anything
for you, I know. If he knew that I'd helped to reform you, he'd be so
glad!--I did help a little, didn't I?"
"Yes," said Samuel. "You helped."
"You--you weren't very hard to reform, somehow," said the child
hesitatingly.
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