She smiled scornfully at
the fancy--so futile in the face of the tremendous misery--and
happiness--that Giant had the power to make!
CHAPTER XVIII
THE LUCKLESS STOCKING
Two hours after Robin's lonely vigil at the window ended, fire destroyed
the empty cottage "up the river" into which the Rileys had been ordered
to move.
"I wish it had burned in the daytime when we could have watched it,"
Beryl had declared, almost resentfully. But Robin's concern had been for
old Granny Castle and little Susy.
Harkness, who had brought them the news, reassured her. "Too bad they
couldn't all a' burned but no such luck--only th' one. It's said that
there are some as _knows_ how a' empty house without so much as a crumb
to draw a rat could a' gone up like that did. And Williams says as how
there was men stood around and wouldn't lift a hand to help put out the
blaze though they took care it didn't spread."
"What do you mean, Mr. Harkness?" broke in Robin.
"Why, just this, Missy, Williams says that there's a lot of bad feeling
stirrin' and bad feelings lead to hasty things like revenge."
"You mean some one of the Mill people set it on fire?" asked Beryl
slowly, with wide eyes.
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