enough poor people to help, so he puts it in the paper that he will help them, by lending them his money—that's it, isn't it, Dicky?"
Dora explained this and Dicky said, "Yes." And H. O. said he was a Generous Benefactor, like in Miss Edgeworth. Then Noël wanted to know what a note of hand was, and Dicky knew that, because he had read it in a book, and it was just a letter saying you will pay the money when you can, and signed with your name.
"No inquiries!" said Alice. "Oh—Dicky—do you think he would?"
"Yes, I think so," said Dicky. "I wonder Father doesn't go to this kind gentleman. I've seen his name before on a circular in Father's study."
"Perhaps he has," said Dora.
But the rest of us were sure he hadn't, because, of course, if he had, there would have been more money to buy nice things. Just then Pincher jumped up and knocked over the painting-water. He is a very careless dog. I wonder why painting-water is always such an ugly colour? Dora ran for a duster to wipe it up, and H. O. dropped drops of the water on his hands and said he had got the plague. So we played at the plague for a
