NOBLY BORN. BY EMMA JANE WORBOISE, Author of "Mr. Montmorency's Money," "Grey and Gold," "The nobly born are not the only noble; LONDON: JAMES CLARKE AND CO., 13, FLEET STREET. ing that I laboured see some misterios disadvant which could and be baged although it gho reasonal be deplored One day, when I was quite a little fellow, remember asking somebody wh cant, for bab as I was. I began to feel momiomable when the epithet was applied to myself in my hearing, and involuntarily I attached to it an idea of disparagement and interiority. The good woman, the wife of one of our dalesmen, to whom I put the question, stared at me în amaze, and burst out laughing. "Just hearken to him," she cried to some one who happened to be in the house-place with her; "did you ever know such a queer child? He always wants to know what things mean, and why people do things, and he keeps wondering what's going to happen presently, I should think the Wrays have a precious handful with him, and he no kith nor kin of theirs, as I've heard. There, bairn, there's a piece of white bread and honey. Go home to yer granny, and don't sticky your clean pinner.” 66 Thus baffled, I asked no more questions, but kept on the alert and formed my own conclusions. That word queer" was continually cropping up, sometimes as applied to things and events, sometimes to people, and not unfrequently to myself. Putting this and that together, 1 decided that to be queer was not to be wicked, not even B |