ItwasinvainthatheurgedTarltontopermithimtoconsulthisfriend。
  AgloomoverspreadTarlton’sbrowwhenhebegantospeakonthesubject,andhealwaysreturnedaperemptoryrefusal,accompaniedwithsomesuchtauntingexpressionasthis——Iwishwehadnothingtodowithsuchasneakingfellow。he’llbetrayusall,Isee,beforewehavedonewithhim。
  Well,saidLoveittohimself,soIamabusedafterall,andcalledasneakingfellowformypains。that’sratherhard,tobesure,whenI’vegotsolittlebythejob。
  Intruthhehadnotgotmuch。forinthedivisionofthebootyonlyoneapple,andhalfofanother,whichwasonlyhalfripe,happenedtofalltohisshare。though,tobesure,whentheyhadalleatentheirapples,hehadthesatisfactiontoheareverybodydeclaretheywereverysorrytheyhadforgottentooffersomeoftheirstoPOORLOVEIT。
  Inthemeantime,thevisitstotheapple-treehadbeennowtoofrequentlyrepeatedtoremainconcealedfromtheoldmanwholivedinthecottage。
  Heusedtoexaminehisonlytreeveryfrequently,andmissingnumbersofrosyapples,whichhehadwatchedripening,he,thoughnotpronetosuspicion,begantothinkthattherewassomethinggoingwrong。
  especiallyasagapwasmadeinhishedge,andtherewereseveralsmallfootstepsinhisflowerbeds。
  Thegoodoldmanwasnotatallinclinedtogivepaintoanylivingcreature,muchlesstochildren,ofwhomhewasparticularlyfond。Norwasheintheleastavaricious,forthoughhewasnotrich,hehadenoughtoliveupon,becausehehadbeenveryindustriousinhisyouth。andhewasalwaysveryreadytopartwiththelittlehehad。Norwasheacrossoldman。Ifanythingwouldhavemadehimangry,itwouldhavebeentheseeinghisfavouritetreerobbed,ashehadpromisedhimselfthepleasureofgivinghisredapplestohisgrandchildrenonhisbirthday。However,helookedupatthetreeinsorrowratherthaninanger,andleaninguponhisstaff,hebegantoconsiderwhathehadbestdo。
  IfIcomplaintotheirmaster,saidhetohimself,theywillcertainlybeflogged,andthatIshouldbesorryfor:yettheymustnotbelettogoonstealing。thatwouldbeworsestill,foritwouldsurelybringthemtothegallowsintheend。Letmesee——oh,ay,thatwilldo。IwillborrowfarmerKent’sdogBarker,he’llkeepthemoff,I’llanswerforit。
  FarmerKentlenthisdogBarker,cautioninghisneighbour,atthesametime,tobesuretochainhimwell,forhewasthefiercestmastiffinEngland。Theoldman,withfarmerKent’sassistance,chainedhimfasttothetrunkoftheapple-tree。
  Nightcame。andTarlton,Loveitandhiscompanions,returnedattheusualhour。Grownboldernowbyfrequentsuccess,theycameontalkingandlaughing。Butthemomenttheyhadsettheirfootinthegarden,thedogstartedup。and,shakingthechainashesprangforward,barkedwithunremittingfury。Theystoodstillasiffixedtothespot。Therewasjustmoonlightenoughtoseethedog。Letustrytheothersideofthetree,saidTarlton。Buttowhicheversidetheyturned,thedogflewroundinaninstant,barkingwithincreasedfury。
  He’llbreakhischainandtearustopieces,criedTarlton。and,struckwithterror,heimmediatelythrewdownthebaskethehadbroughtwithhim,andbetookhimselftoflight,withthegreatestprecipitation。
  Helpme!oh,pray,helpme!Ican’tgetthroughthehedge,criedLoveit,inalamentabletone,whilstthedoggrowledhideously,andsprangforwardtotheextremityofhischain。Ican’tgetout!Oh,forGod’ssake,stayformeoneminute,dearTarlton!Hecalledinvain。hewaslefttostrugglethroughhisdifficultiesbyhimself。andofallhisdearfriendsnotoneturnedbacktohelphim。Atlast,tornandterrified,hegotthroughthehedgeandranhome,despisinghiscompanionsfortheirselfishness。NorcouldhehelpobservingthatTarlton,withallhisvauntedprowess,wasthefirsttorunawayfromtheappearanceofdanger。
  ThenextmorningLoveitcouldnothelpreproachingthepartywiththeirconduct。Whycouldnotyou,anyofyou,stayoneminutetohelpme?
  saidhe。
  Wedidnothearyoucall,answeredone。
  Iwassofrightened,saidanother,Iwouldnothaveturnedbackforthewholeworld。
  Andyou,Tarlton?
  I,saidTarlton。hadnotIenoughtodototakecareofmyself,youblockhead?Everyoneforhimselfinthisworld!
  SoIsee,saidLoveit,gravely。
  Well,man!isthereanythingstrangeinthat?
  Strange!why,yes。Ithoughtyoualllovedme!
  Lordloveyou,lad!sowedo。butweloveourselvesbetter。
  Hardywouldnothaveservedmeso,however,saidLoveit,turningawayindisgust。Tarltonwasalarmed。Pugh!saidhe。whatnonsensehaveyoutakenintoyourbrain!Thinknomoreaboutit。Weareallverysorry,andbegyourpardon。come,shakehands,forgiveandforget。
  Loveitgavehishand,butgaveitrathercoldly。Iforgiveitwithallmyheart,saidhe。butIcannotforgetitsosoon!
  Why,then,youarenotsuchagoodhumouredfellowaswethoughtyouwere。Surelyyoucannotbearmalice,Loveit。Loveitsmiled,andallowedthathecertainlycouldnotbearmalice。Well,then,come。youknowatthebottomweallloveyou,andwoulddoanythingintheworldforyou。PoorLoveit,flatteredinhisfoible,begantobelievethattheydidlovehimatthebottom,astheysaid,andevenwithhiseyesopenconsentedagaintobeduped。
  Howstrangeitis,thoughthe,thatIshouldsetsuchvalueupontheloveofthoseIdespise!WhenI’monceoutofthisscrape,I’llhavenomoretodowiththem,I’mdetermined。
  ComparedwithhisfriendHardy,hisnewassociatesdidindeedappearcontemptible。forallthistimeHardyhadtreatedhimwithuniformkindness,avoidedtopryintohissecrets,yetseemedreadytoreceivehisconfidence,ifithadbeenoffered。
  Afterschoolintheevening,ashewasstandingsilentlybesideHardy,whowasrulingasheetofpaperforhim,Tarlton,inhisbrutalmanner,cameup,andseizinghimbythearm,cried,Comealongwithme,Loveit,I’vesomethingtosaytoyou。
  Ican’tcomenow,saidLoveit,drawingawayhisarm。
  Ah,docomenow,saidTarlton,inavoiceofpersuasion。
  Well,I’llcomepresently。
  Nay,butdo,pray。there’sagoodfellow,comenow,becauseIhavesomethingtosaytoyou。
  Whatisityou’vegottosaytome?Iwishyou’dletmealone,saidLoveit。yetatthesametimehesufferedhimselftoheledaway。
  Tarltontookparticularpainstohumourhimandbringhimintotemperagain。andeventhoughhewasnotveryapttopartwithhisplaythings,wentsofarastosay,Loveit,theotherdayyouwantedatop。I’llgiveyoumineifyoudesireit。
  Loveitthankedhim,andwasoverjoyedatthethoughtofpossessingthistop。Butwhatdidyouwanttosaytomejustnow?
  Ay,we’lltalkofthatpresently。notyet——whenwegetoutofhearing。
  Nobodyisnearus,saidLoveit。
  Comealittlefartherhowever,saidTarlton,lookingroundsuspiciously。
  Wellnow,well?
  Youknowthedogthatfrighteneduslastnight?
  Yes。
  Itwillneverfrightenusagain。
  Won’tit?howso?
  Lookhere,saidTarlton,drawingsomethingfromhispocketwrappedinabluehandkerchief。
  What’sthat?Tarltonopenedit。Rawmeat!exclaimedLoveit。Howcameyoubyit?
  Tom,theservantboy,Tomgotitforme。andI’mtogivehimsixpence。
  Andisitforthedog?
  Yes。IvowedI’dberevengedonhim,andafterthishe’llneverbarkagain。
  Neverbarkagain!Whatdoyoumean?Isitpoison?exclaimedLoveit,startingbackwithhorror。
  OnlypoisonforADOG,saidTarlton,confused。youcouldnotlookmoreshockingifitwaspoisonforaChristian。
  Loveitstoodfornearlyaminuteinprofoundsilence。Tarlton,saidheatlast,inachangedtoneandalteredmanner,Ididnotknowyou。I
  willhavenomoretodowithyou。
  Nay,butstay,saidTarlton,catchingholdofhisarm,stay。Iwasonlyjoking。
  Letgomyarm——youwereinearnest。
  ButthenthatwasbeforeIknewtherewasanyharm。Ifyouthinkthere’sanyharm?
  IF,saidLoveit。
  Why,youknow,Imightnotknow。forTomtoldmeit’sathingthat’softendone。AskTom。
  I’llasknobody!Surelyweknowbetterwhat’srightandwrongthanTomdoes。
  Butonlyjustaskhim,tohearwhathe’llsay。
  Idon’twanttohearwhathe’llsay,criedLoveit,vehemently:thedogwilldieinagonies——inagonies!Therewasadogpoisonedatmyfather’s——Isawhimintheyard。Poorcreature!Helayandhowledandwrithedhimself!
  Poorcreature!Well,there’snoharmdonenow,criedTarlton,inahypocriticaltone。ButthoughhethoughtfittodissemblewithLoveit,hewasthoroughlydeterminedinhispurpose。
  PoorLoveit,inhastetogetaway,returnedtohisfriendHardy。buthismindwasinsuchagitation,thatheneithertalkednormovedlikehimself。andtwoorthreetimeshisheartwassofullthathewasreadytoburstintotears。
  Howgood-naturedyouaretome,saidhetoHardy,ashewastryingvainlytoentertainhim。butifyouknew——Herehestoppedshort,forthebellforeveningprayerrang,andtheyalltooktheirplaces,andkneltdown。Afterprayers,astheyweregoingtobed,LoveitstoppedTarlton,——WELL!askedhe,inaninquiringmanner,fixinghiseyesuponhim。
  WELL!repliedTarlton,inanaudacioustone,asifhemeanttosethisinquiringeyeatdefiance。
  Whatdoyoumeantodoto-night?
  Togotosleep,asyoudo,Isuppose,repliedTarlton,turningawayabruptly,andwhistlingashewalkedoff。
  Oh,hehascertainlychangedhismind!saidLoveittohimself,elsehecouldnotwhistle。
  Abouttenminutesafterthis,asheandHardywereundressing,Hardysuddenlyrecollectedthathehadlefthisnewkiteoutuponthegrass。
  Oh,saidhe,itwillbequitespoiledbeforemorning!
  CallTom,saidLoveit,andbidhimbringitinforyouinaminute。
  TheybothwenttothetopofthestairstocallTom。nooneanswered。
  Theycalledagainlouder,IsTombelow?
  I’mhere,answeredheatlast,comingoutofTarlton’sroomwithalookofmixedembarrassmentandeffrontery。AndashewasreceivingHardy’scommission,Loveitsawthecornerofthebluehandkerchiefhangingoutofhispocket。ThisexcitedfreshsuspicionsinLoveit’smind。but,withoutsayingoneword,heimmediatelystationedhimselfatthewindowinhisroom,whichlookedouttowardsthelane。and,asthemoonwasrisen,hecouldseeifanyonepassedthatway。
  Whatareyoudoingthere?saidHardy,afterhehadbeenwatchingsometime。whydon’tyoucometobed?Loveitreturnednoanswer,butcontinuedstandingatthewindow。Nordidhewatchlonginvain。
  PresentlyhesawTomglidingslowlyalongaby-path,andgetoverthegateintothelane。
  He’sgonetodoit!exclaimedLoveitaloud,withanemotionwhichhecouldnotcommand。
  Who’sgone?todowhat?criedHardy,startingup。
  Howcruel!howwicked!continuedLoveit。
  What’scruel——what’swicked?speakoutatonce!returnedHardy,inthatcommandingtonewhich,inmomentsofdanger,strongmindsfeelthemselvesentitledtoassumetowardsweakones。Loveitinstantly,thoughinanincoherentmanner,explainedtheaffairtohim。Scarcelyhadthewordspassedhislips,whenHardysprangup,andbegandressinghimselfwithoutsayingonesyllable。
  ForGod’ssake,whatareyougoingtodo?saidLoveit,ingreatanxiety。They’llneverforgiveme!don’tbetrayme!they’llneverforgive!pray,speaktome!onlysayyouwon’tbetrayus。
  Iwillnotbetrayyou,trusttome,saidHardy:andhelefttheroom,andLoveitstoodinamazement。while,inthemeantime,Hardy,inhopesofovertakingTombeforethefateofthepoordogwasdecided,ranwithallpossiblespeedacrossthemeadow,thendownthelane。HecameupwithTomjustashewasclimbingthebankintotheoldman’sgarden。Hardy,toomuchoutofbreathtospeak,seizedholdofhim,draggedhimdown,detaininghimwithafirmgrasp,whilsthepantedforutterance。
  What,MasterHardy,isityou?what’sthematter?whatdoyouwant?
  Iwantthepoisonedmeatthatyouhaveinyourpocket。
  WhotoldyouthatIhadanysuchthing?saidTom,clappinghishanduponhisguiltypocket。
  Giveitmequietly,andI’llletyouoff。
  Sir,uponmywordIhaven’t!Ididn’t!Idon’tknowwhatyoumean,
  saidTom,trembling,thoughhewasbyfarthestrongerofthetwo。
  Indeed,Idon’tknowwhatyoumean。
  Youdo,saidHardy,withgreatindignation:andaviolentstruggleimmediatelycommenced。
  Thedog,nowalarmedbythevoices,begantobarkoutrageously。Tomwasterrifiedlesttheoldmanshouldcomeouttoseewhatwasthematter。
  hisstrengthforsookhim,andflingingthehandkerchiefandmeatoverthehedge,heranawaywithallhisspeed。Thehandkerchieffellwithinreachofthedog,whoinstantlysnappedatit。luckilyitdidnotcomeuntied。Hardysawapitchforkonadunghillclosebesidehim,and,seizinguponit,stuckitintothehandkerchief。Thedogpulled,tore,growled,grappled,yelled。itwasimpossibletogetthehandkerchieffrombetweenhisteeth。buttheknotwasloosed,themeat,unperceivedbythedog,droppedout,andwhilehedraggedoffthehandkerchiefintriumph,Hardy,withinexpressiblejoy,plungedthepitchforkintothepoisonedmeat,andboreitaway。
  Neverdidheroretirewithmoresatisfactionfromafieldofbattle。
  Fullofthepleasureofsuccessfulbenevolence,Hardytrippedjoyfullyhome,andvaultedoverthewindowsill,whenthefirstobjecthebeheldwasMr。Power,theusher,standingattheheadofthestairs,withhiscandleinhishand。
  Comeup,whoeveryouare,saidMr。WilliamPower,inasternvoice。I
  thoughtIshouldfindyououtatlast。Comeup,whoeveryouare!Hardyobeyedwithoutreply——Hardy!exclaimedMr。Power,startingbackwithastonishment。isityou,Mr。Hardy?repeatedhe,holdingthelighttohisface。Why,sir,saidhe,inasneeringtone,I’msureifMr。
  Truemanwasherehewouldn’tbelievehisowneyes。butformypartIsawthroughyoulongsince。Ineverlikedsaints,formyshare。Willyoupleasetodomethefavour,sir,ifitisnottoomuchtrouble,toemptyyourpockets。Hardyobeyedinsilence。Heyday!meat!rawmeat!whatnext?
  That’sall,saidHardy,emptyinghispocketsinsideout。
  ThisisALL,saidMr。Power,takingupthemeat。
  Pray,sir,saidHardy,eagerly,letthatmeatbeburned,itispoisoned。
  Poisoned!criedMr。WilliamPower,lettingitdropoutofhisfingers。
  youwretch!lookingathimwithamenacingair:whatisallthis?
  Speak。Hardywassilent。Whydon’tyouspeak?criedhe,shakinghimbytheshoulderimpatiently。StillHardywassilent。Downuponyourkneesthisminuteandconfessall:tellmewhereyou’vebeen,whatyou’vebeendoing,andwhoareyouraccomplices,forIknowthereisagangofyou。so,addedhe,pressingheavilyuponHardy’sshoulder,downuponyourkneesthisminute,andconfessthewhole,that’syouronlywaynowtogetoffyourself。IfyouhopeforMYpardon,Icantellyouit’snottobehadwithoutaskingfor。
  Sir,saidHardy,inafirmbutrespectfulvoice,Ihavenopardontoask,Ihavenothingtoconfess。Iaminnocent。butifIwerenot,Iwouldnevertrytogetoffmyselfbybetrayingmycompanions。
  Verywell,sir!verywell!veryfine!sticktoit,sticktoit,Iadviseyou,andweshallsee。Andhowwillyoulookto-morrow,Mr。Innocent,whenmyuncle,thedoctor,comeshome?
  AsIdonow,sir,saidHardy,unmoved。
  HiscomposurethrewMr。Powerintoaragetoogreatforutterance。
  Sir,continuedHardy,eversinceIhavebeenatschool,Inevertoldalie,andtherefore,sir,Ihopeyouwillbelievemenow。Uponmywordandhonour,sir,Ihavedonenothingwrong。
  Nothingwrong?Betterandbetter!what,whenIcaughtyougoingoutatnight?
  THAT,tobesure,waswrong,saidHardy,recollectinghimself。butexceptthat——
  Exceptthat,sir!Iwillexceptnothing。Comealongwithme,younggentleman,yourtimeforpardonispast。
  Sayingthesewords,hepulledHardyalonganarrowpassagetoasmallcloset,setapartfordesperateoffenders,andusuallyknownbythenameoftheBLACKHOLE。There,sir,takeupyourlodgingthereforto-
  night,saidhe,pushinghimin。tomorrowI’llknowmore,orI’llknowwhy,addedhe,doublelockingthedoor,withatremendousnoise,uponhisprisoner,andlockingalsothedoorattheendofthepassage,sothatnoonecouldhaveaccesstohim。SonowIthinkIhaveyousafe!
  saidMr。WilliamPowertohimself,stalkingoffwithstepswhichmadethewholegalleryresound,andwhichmademanyaguiltyhearttremble。
  TheconversationwhichhadpassedbetweenHardyandMr。Powerattheheadofthestairshadbeenanxiouslylistenedto。butonlyawordortwohereandtherehadbeendistinctlyoverheard。
  Thelockingoftheblackholedoorwasaterriblesound——someknewnotwhatitportended,andothersknewTOOWELL。Allassembledinthemorningwithfacesofanxiety。TarltonandLoveit’swerethemostagitated:Tarltonforhimself,Loveitforhisfriend,forhimself,foreverybody。Everyoneoftheparty,andTarltonattheirhead,surroundedhimwithreproaches。andconsideredhimastheauthoroftheevilswhichhungoverthem。Howcouldyoudoso?andwhydidyousayanythingtoHardyaboutit?whenyouhadpromised,too!Oh!whatshallwealldo?
  whatascrapeyouhavebroughtusinto,Loveit,it’sallyourfault!
  ALLMYFAULT!repeatedpoorLoveit,withasigh。well,thatishard。
  Goodness!there’sthebell,exclaimedanumberofvoicesatonce。Nowforit!Theyallstoodinahalfcircleformorningprayers。Theylistened——Hereheiscoming!No——Yes——Hereheis!AndMr。WilliamPower,withagloomybrow,appearedandwalkeduptohisplaceattheheadoftheroom。Theykneltdowntoprayers,andthemomenttheyrose,Mr。WilliamPower,layinghishanduponthetable,cried,Standstill,gentlemen,ifyouplease。Everybodystoodstockstill。hewalkedoutofthecircle。theyguessedthathewasgoneforHardy,andthewholeroomwasincommotion。Eachwitheagernessaskedeachwhatnonecouldanswer,HASHETOLD?WHAThashetold?Whohashetoldof?Ihopehehasnottoldofme,criedthey。
  I’llanswerforithehastoldofallofus,saidTarlton。
  AndI’llanswerforithehastoldofnoneofus,answeredLoveit,withasigh。
  Youdon’tthinkhe’ssuchafool,whenhecangethimselfoff,saidTarlton。
  Atthisinstanttheprisonerwasledin,andashepassedthroughthecircle,everyeyewasfixeduponhim。Hiseyefelluponnoone,notevenuponLoveit,whopulledhimbythecoatashepassed——everyonefeltalmostafraidtobreathe。
  Well,sir,saidMr。Power,sittingdowninMr。Trueman’selbow-chair,andplacingtheprisoneroppositetohim。well,sir,whathaveyoutosaytomethismorning?
  Nothing,sir,answeredHardy,inadecided,yetmodestmanner。nothingbutwhatIsaidlastnight。
  Nothingmore?
  Nothingmore,sir。
  ButIhavesomethingmoretosaytoyou,sir,then。andagreatdealmore,Ipromiseyou,beforeIhavedonewithyou。andthen,seizinghiminafury,hewasjustgoingtogivehimasevereflogging,whentheschoolroomdooropened,andMr。Truemanappeared,followedbyanoldmanwhomLoveitimmediatelyknew。Heleaneduponhisstickashewalked,andinhisotherhandcarriedabasketofapples。Whentheycamewithinthecircle,Mr。Truemanstoppedshort。Hardy!exclaimedhe,withavoiceofunfeignedsurprise,whilstMr。WilliamPowerstoodwithhishandsuspended——Ay,Hardy,sir,repeatedhe。Itoldhimyou’dnotbelieveyourowneyes。
  Mr。Truemanadvancedwithaslowstep。Now,sir,givemeleave,saidtheusher,eagerlydrawinghimaside,andwhispering。
  So,sir,saidMr。T。whenthewhisperwasdone,addressinghimselftoHardy,withavoiceandmannerwhich,hadhebeenguilty,musthavepiercedhimtotheheart,IfindIhavebeendeceivedinyou。itisbutthreehoursagothatItoldyouruncleIneverhadaboyinmyschoolinwhomIplacedsomuchconfidence。but,afterallthisshowofhonourandintegrity,themomentmybackisturned,youarethefirsttosetanexampleofdisobedienceofmyorders。WhydoItalkofdisobeyingmycommands——youareathief!
  I,sir?exclaimedHardy,nolongerabletorepresshisfeelings。
  You,sir,——youandsomeothers,saidMr。Trueman,lookingroundtheroomwithapenetratingglance——youandsomeothers。
  Ay,sir,interruptedMr。WilliamPower,getthatoutofhimifyoucan——askhim。
  Iwillaskhimnothing。Ishallneitherputhistruthnorhishonourtothetrial。truthandhonourarenottobeexpectedamongstthieves。
  Iamnotathief!Ihaveneverhadanythingtodowiththieves,criedHardy,indignantly。
  Haveyounotrobbedthisoldman?Don’tyouknowthetasteoftheseapples?saidMr。Trueman,takingoneoutofthebasket。
  No,sir。Idonot。Inevertouchedoneofthatoldman’sapples。
  Nevertouchedoneofthem!Isupposethisissomevileequivocation。
  youhavedoneworse,youhavehadthebarbarity,thebaseness,toattempttopoisonhisdog。thepoisonedmeatwasfoundinyourpocketlastnight。
  Thepoisonedmeatwasfoundinmypocket,sir。butIneverintendedtopoisonthedog——Isavedhislife。
  Lordblesshim!saidtheoldman。
  Nonsense——cunning!saidMr。Power。Ihopeyouwon’tlethimimposeuponyou,sir。
  No,hecannotimposeuponme。Ihaveaproofheislittlepreparedfor,
  saidMr。Trueman,producingthebluehandkerchiefinwhichthemeathadbeenwrapped。
  Tarltonturnedpale。Hardy’scountenanceneverchanged。
  Don’tyouknowthishandkerchief,sir?
  Ido,sir。
  Isitnotyours?
  No,sir。
  Don’tyouknowwhoseitis?criedMr。Power。Hardywassilent。
  Now,gentlemen,saidMr。Trueman,Iamnotfondofpunishingyou。butwhenIdoit,youknow,itisalwaysinearnest。Iwillbeginwiththeeldestofyou。IwillbeginwithHardy,andflogyouwithmyownhandstillthishandkerchiefisowned。
  I’msureit’snotmine,andI’msureit’snoneofmine,burstfromeverymouth,whilsttheylookedateachotherindismay。fornonebutHardy,LoveitandTarltonknewthesecret。Mycane,saidMr。Trueman,andMr。Powerhandedhimthecane。Loveitgroanedfromthebottomofhisheart。Tarltonleanedbackagainstthewallwithablackcountenance。
  Hardylookedwithasteadyeyeatthecane。
  Butfirst,saidMr。Trueman,layingdownthecane,letussee。
  Perhapswemayfindouttheownerofthishandkerchiefanotherway,
  examiningthecorners。Itwastornalmosttopieces。butluckilythecornerthatwasmarkedremained。
  J。T。!criedMr。Trueman。EveryeyeturnedupontheguiltyTarlton,who,nowaspaleasashesandtremblingineverylimb,sankdownuponhisknees,andinawhiningvoicebeggedformercy。Uponmywordandhonour,sir,I’lltellyouall。I’dneverhavethoughtofstealingtheapplesifLoveithadnotfirsttoldmeofthem。anditwasTomwhofirstputthepoisoningthedogintomyhead。Itwashethatcarriedthemeat,WASN’TIT?saidhe,appealingtoHardy,whosewordheknewmustbebelieved。Oh,dearsir!continuedheasMr。Truemanbegantomovetowardshim,doletmeoff。praydoletmeoffthistime!I’mnottheonlyone,indeed,sir!Ihopeyouwon’tmakemeanexamplefortherest。
  It’sveryhardI’mtobefloggedmorethanthey!
  I’mnotgoingtoflogyou。
  Thankyou,sir,saidTarlton,gettingupandwipinghiseyes。
  Youneednotthankme,saidMr。Trueman。Takeyourhandkerchief——gooutofthisroom——outofthishouse。letmeneverseeyoumore。
  IfIhadanyhopesofhim,saidMr。Trueman,asheshutthedoorafterhim——ifIhadanyhopesofhim,Iwouldhavepunishedhim——butIhavenone。Punishmentismeantonlytomakepeoplebetter。andthosewhohaveanyhopesofthemselveswillknowhowtosubmittoit。
  AtthesewordsLoveitfirst,andimmediatelyalltherestoftheguiltyparty,steppedoutoftheranks,confessedtheirfault,anddeclaredthemselvesreadytobearanypunishmenttheirmasterthoughtproper。
  Oh,theyhavebeenpunishedenough,saidtheoldman。forgivethem,sir。
  Hardylookedasifhewishedtospeak。Notbecauseyouaskit,saidMr。Truemantotheguiltypenitents,thoughIshouldbegladtoobligeyou——itwouldn’tbejust。butthere,pointingtoHardy,thereisonewhohasmeritedareward。thehighestIcangivehimisthatofpardoninghiscompanions。
  Hardybowedandhisfaceglowedwithpleasure,whilsteverybodypresentsympathizedinhisfeelings。
  Iamsure,thoughtLoveit,thisisalessonIshallneverforget。
  Gentlemen,saidtheoldman,withafalteringvoice,itwasn’tforthesakeofmyapplesthatIspoke。andyou,sir,saidhetoHardy,Ithankyouforsavingmydog。Ifyouplease,I’llplantonthatmount,oppositethewindow,ayoungapple-tree,frommyoldone。Iwillwaterit,andtakecareofitwithmyownhandsforyoursake,aslongasIamable。
  AndmayGodblessyou!layinghistremblinghandonHardy’shead。mayGodblessyou——I’msureGodWILLblessallsuchboysasyouare。
  THEBASKET-WOMAN。
  Touteleuretudeetaitdesecomplaireetdes’entr’aider。*
  PAULETVIRGINIE。
  Atthefootofasteep,slippery,whitehill,nearDunstable,inBedfordshire,calledChalkHill,thereisahut,orratherahovel,whichtravellerscouldscarcelysupposecouldbeinhabited,iftheydidnotseethesmokerisingfromitspeakedroof。Anoldwomanlivesinthishovel,**andwithheralittleboyandgirl,thechildrenofabeggarwhodied,andlefttheseorphansperishingwithhunger。Theythoughtthemselvesveryhappywhenthegoodoldwomanfirsttookthemintoherhutandbidthemwarmthemselvesathersmallfire,andgavethemacrustofmouldybreadtoeat。Shehadnotmuchtogive,butwhatshehadshegavewithgood-will。Shewasverykindtothesepoorchildren,andworkedhardatherspinning-wheelandatherknitting,tosupportherselfandthem。Sheearnedmoneyalsoinanotherway。SheusedtofollowallthecarriagesastheywentupChalkHill,andwhenthehorsesstoppedtotakebreathortorestthemselves,sheputstonesbehindthecarriagewheelstopreventthemfromrollingbackwardsdownthesteep,slipperyhill。
  *Theirwholestudywashowtopleaseandtohelponeanother。
  **Thiswasaboutthecloseofthe18thcentury。
  Thelittleboyandgirllovedtostandbesidethegoodnaturedoldwoman’sspinning-wheelwhenshewasspinning,andtotalktoher。Atthesetimesshetaughtthemsomething,which,shesaid,shehopedtheywouldrememberalltheirlives。Sheexplainedtothemwhatismeantbytellingthetruth,andwhatitistobehonest。Shetaughtthemtodislikeidleness,andtowishthattheycouldbeuseful。
  Oneevening,astheywerestandingbesideher,thelittleboysaidtoher,Grandmother,forthatwasthenamebywhichshelikedthatthesechildrenshouldcallher——grandmother,howoftenyouareforcedtogetupfromyourspinning-wheel,andtofollowthechaisesandcoachesupthatsteephill,toputstonesunderneaththewheels,tohinderthemfromrollingback!Thepeoplewhoareinthecarriagesgiveyouahalfpennyorapennyfordoingthis,don’tthey?
  Yes,child。
  Butitisveryhardworkforyoutogoupanddownthathill。Youoftensaythatyouaretired,andthenyouknowthatyoucannotspinallthattime。Nowifwemightgoupthehill,andputthestonesbehindthewheels,youcouldsitstillatyourwork,andwouldnotthepeoplegiveusthehalfpence?andcouldnotwebringthemalltoyou?Do,pray,deargrandmother,tryusforoneday——to-morrow,willyou?
  Yes,saidtheoldwoman。Iwilltrywhatyoucando。butImustgoupthehillalongwithyouforthefirsttwoorthreetimes,forfearyoushouldgetyourselveshurt。
  So,thenextday,thelittleboyandgirlwentwiththeirgrandmother,astheyusedtocallher,upthesteephill。andsheshowedtheboyhowtopreventthewheelsfromrollingback,byputtingstonesbehindthem。andshesaid,Thisiscalledscotchingthewheels。andshetookofftheboy’shatandgaveittothelittlegirl,toholduptothecarriage-
  windows,readyforthehalfpence。
  Whenshethoughtthatthechildrenknewhowtomanagebythemselves,sheleftthem,andreturnedtoherspinning-wheel。Agreatmanycarriageshappenedtogobythisday,andthelittlegirlreceivedagreatmanyhalfpence。Shecarriedthemallinherbrother’shattohergrandmotherintheevening。andtheoldwomansmiled,andthankedthechildren。Shesaidthattheyhadbeenusefultoher,andthatherspinninghadgoneonfinely,becauseshehadbeenabletositstillatherwheelallday。
  But,Paulmyboy,saidshe,whatisthematterwithyourhand?
  Onlyapinch——onlyonepinchthatIgot,asIwasputtingastonebehindawheelofachaise。Itdoesnothurtmemuch,grandmother。andI’vethoughtofagoodthingforto-morrow。Ishallneverbehurtagain,ifyouwillonlybesogoodastogivemetheoldhandleofthebrokencrutch,grandmother,andtheblockofwoodthatliesinthechimney-
  corner,andthatisofnouse。I’llmakeitofsomeuse,ifImayhaveit。
  Takeitthen,dear,saidtheoldwoman。andyou’llfindthehandleofthebrokencrutchundermybed。
  Paulwenttoworkimmediately,andfastenedoneendofthepoleintotheblockofwood,soastomakesomethinglikeadry-rubbingbrush。Look,grandmamma,lookatmySCOTCHER。IcallthisthingmySCOTCHER,saidPaul,becauseIshallalwaysscotchthewheelswithit。Ishallneverpinchmyfingersagain。myhands,yousee,willbesafeattheendofthislongstick。and,sisterAnne,youneednotbeatthetroubleofcarryinganymorestonesaftermeupthehill。weshallneverwantstonesanymore。Myscotcherwilldowithoutanythingelse,Ihope。Iwishitwasmorning,andthatacarriagewouldcome,thatImightrunupthehill,andtrymyscotcher。
  AndIwishthatasmanychaisesmaygobyto-morrowastheredidto-day,andthatwemaybringyouasmanyhalfpence,grandmother,saidthelittlegirl。
  SodoI,mydearAnne,saidtheoldwoman。forImeanthatyouandyourbrothershallhaveallthemoneythatyougetto-morrow。Youmaybuysomegingerbreadforyourselves,orsomeofthoseripeplumsthatyousawatthefruit-stalltheotherday,whichisjustgoingintoDunstable。
  ItoldyouthenthatIcouldnotaffordtobuysuchthingsforyou。butnowthatyoucanearnhalfpenceforyourselves,children,itisfairshouldtastearipeplumandbitofgingerbreadforonceandawayinyourlives。
  We’llbringsomeofthegingerbreadhometoher,shan’twe,brother?
  whisperedlittleAnne。Themorningcame。butnocarriageswereheard,thoughPaulandhissisterhadrisenatfiveo’clock,thattheymightbesuretobereadyforearlytravellers。Paulkepthisscotcherpoiseduponhisshoulder,andwatchedeagerlyathisstationatthebottomofthehill。Hedidnotwaitlongbeforeacarriagecame。Hefolloweditupthehill。andtheinstantthepostillioncalledtohim,andbidhimstopthewheels,heputhisscotcherbehindthem,andfoundthatitansweredthepurposeperfectlywell。
  Manycarriageswentbythisday,andPaulandAnnereceivedagreatmanyhalfpencefromthetravellers。
  Whenitgrewduskintheevening,Annesaidtoherbrother——Idon’tthinkanymorecarriageswillcomebyto-day。Letuscountthehalfpence,andcarrythemhomenowtograndmother。
  No,notyet,answeredPaul,letthemalone——letthemliestillintheholewhereIhaveputthem。Idaresaymorecarriageswillcomebybeforeitisquitedark,andthenweshallhavemorehalfpence。
  Paulhadtakenthehalfpenceoutofhishat,andhehadputthemintoaholeinthehighbankbytheroadside。andAnnesaidshewouldnotmeddlewiththem,andthatshewouldwaittillherbrotherlikedtocountthem。
  andPaulsaid——Ifyouwillstayandwatchhere,Iwillgoandgathersomeblackberriesforyouinthehedgeinyonderfield。Standyouhereabouts,half-wayupthehill,andthemomentyouseeanycarriagecomingalongtheroad,runasfastasyoucanandcallme。
  Annewaitedalongtime,orwhatshethoughtalongtime。andshesawnocarriage,andshetrailedherbrother’sscotcherupanddowntillshewastired。Thenshestoodstill,andlookedagain,andshesawnocarriage。
  soshewentsorrowfullyintothefield,andtothehedgewhereherbrotherwasgatheringblackberries,andshesaid,Paul,I’msadlytired,SADLYTIRED!saidshe,andmyeyesarequitestrainedwithlookingforchaises。nomorechaiseswillcometo-night。andyourscotcherislyingthere,ofnouse,upontheground。HavenotIwaitedlongenoughforto-
  day,Paul?
  Oh,no,saidPaul。herearesomeblackberriesforyou。youhadbetterwaitalittlebitlonger。Perhapsacarriagemightgobywhilstyouarestandingheretalkingtome。
  Anne,whowasofaveryobligingtemper,andwholikedtodowhatshewasaskedtodo,wentbacktotheplacewherethescotcherlay。andscarcelyhadshereachedthespot,whensheheardthenoiseofacarriage。Sherantocallherbrother,andtotheirgreatjoy,theynowsawfourchaisescomingtowardsthem。Paul,assoonastheywentupthehill,followedwithhisscotcher。firsthescotchedthewheelsofonecarriage,thenofanother。andAnnewassomuchdelightedwithobservinghowwellthescotcherstoppedthewheels,andhowmuchbetteritwasthanstones,thatsheforgottogoandholdherbrother’shattothetravellersforhalfpence,tillshewasrousedbythevoiceofalittlerosygirl,whowaslookingoutofthewindowofoneofthechaises。Comeclosetothechaise-door,saidthelittlegirl。herearesomehalfpenceforyou。
  Anneheldthehat。andsheafterwardswentontotheothercarriages。
  Moneywasthrowntoherfromeachofthem。andwhentheyhadallgottensafelytothetopofthehill,sheandherbrothersatdownuponalargestonebytheroadside,tocounttheirtreasure。Firsttheybeganbycountingwhatwasinthehat——One,two,three,fourhalfpence。
  But,oh,brother,lookatthis!exclaimedAnne。thisisnotthesameastheotherhalfpence。
  No,indeed,itisnot,criedPaul,itisnohalfpenny。itisaguinea,abrightgoldenguinea!
  Isit?saidAnne,whohadneverseenaguineainherlifebefore,andwhodidnotknowitsvalue。andwillitdoaswellasahalfpennytobuygingerbread?I’llruntothefruit-stall,andaskthewoman。shallI?
  No,no,saidPaul,youneednotaskanywoman,oranybodybutme。I
  cantellyouallaboutit,aswellasanybodyinthewholeworld。
  Thewholeworld!Oh,Paul,youforgot。Notsowellasmygrandmother。
  Why,notsowellasmygrandmother,perhaps,but,Anne,Icantellyouthatyoumustnottalkyourself,Anne,butyoumustlistentomequietly,orelseyouwon’tunderstandwhatIamgoingtotellyou,forIcanassureyouthatIdon’tthinkIquiteunderstooditmyself,Anne,thefirsttimemygrandmothertoldittome,thoughIstoodstockstilllisteningmybest。
  Preparedbythisspeechtohearsomethingverydifficulttobeunderstood,Annelookedverygrave,andherbrotherexplainedtoher,that,withaguinea,shemightbuytwohundredandfifty-twotimesasmanyplumsasshecouldgetforapenny。
  Why,Paul,youknowthefruit-womansaidshewouldgiveusadozenplumsforapenny。Now,forthislittleguinea,wouldshegiveustwohundredandfifty-twodozen?
  Ifshehassomany,andifweliketohavesomany,tobesureshewill,saidPaul,butIthinkweshouldnotliketohavetwohundredandfifty-twodozenofplums。wecouldnoteatsuchanumber。
  Butwecouldgivesomeofthemtomygrandmother,saidAnne。
  Butstilltherewouldbetoomanyforher,andforus,too,saidPaul,andwhenwehadeatentheplums,therewouldbeanendtoallthepleasure。ButnowI’lltellyouwhatIamthinkingof,Anne,thatwemightbuysomethingformygrandmother,thatwouldbeveryusefultoherindeed,withtheguinea——somethingthatwouldlastagreatwhile。
  What,brother?Whatsortofthing?
  Somethingthatshesaidshewantedverymuchlastwinter,whenshewassoillwiththerheumatism——somethingthatshesaidyesterday,whenyouweremakingherbed,shewishedshemightbeabletobuybeforenextwinter。
  Iknow,Iknowwhatyoumean!saidAnne——ablanket。Oh,yes,Paul,thatwillbemuchbetterthanplums。doletusbuyablanketforher。howgladshewillbetoseeit!Iwillmakeherbedwiththenewblanket,andthenbringhertoseeit。But,Paul,howshallwebuyablanket?
  Whereareblanketstobegot?
  Leavethattome,I’llmanagethat。Iknowwhereblanketscanbegot。
  IsawonehangingoutofashopthedayIwentlasttoDunstable。
  YouhaveseenagreatmanythingsatDunstable,brother。
  Yes,agreatmany。butIneversawanythingthereoranywhereelse,thatIwishedforhalfsomuchasIdidfortheblanketformygrandmother。
  Doyourememberhowsheusedtoshiverwiththecoldlastwinter?I’llbuytheblanketto-morrow。I’mgoingtoDunstablewithherspinning。
  Andyou’llbringtheblankettome,andIshallmakethebedveryneatly,thatwillbeallright——allhappy!saidAnne,clappingherhands。
  Butstay!Hush!don’tclapyourhandsso,Anne。itwillnotbeallhappy,I’mafraid,saidPaul,andhiscountenancechanged,andhelookedverygrave。Itwillnotbeallright,I’mafraid,forthereisonethingwehaveneitherofusthoughtof,butthatweoughttothinkabout。
  Wecannotbuytheblanket,I’mafraid。
  Why,Paul,why?
  BecauseIdon’tthinkthisguineaishonestlyours。
  Nay,brother,butI’msureitishonestlyours。Itwasgiventous,andgrandmothersaidallthatwasgiventousto-daywastobeourown。
  Butwhogaveittoyou,Anne?
  Someofthepeopleinthosechaises,Paul。Idon’tknowwhichofthem,butIdaresayitwasthelittlerosygirl。
  No,saidPaul,forwhenshecalledyoutothechaisedoor,shesaid,’Here’ssomehalfpenceforyou。’Now,ifshegaveyoutheguinea,shemusthavegivenittoyoubymistake。
  Well,butperhapssomeofthepeopleintheotherchaisesgaveittome,anddidnotgiveittomebymistake,Paul。Therewasagentlemanreadinginoneofthechaisesandalady,wholookedverygood-naturedlyatme,andthenthegentlemanputdownhisbookandputhisheadoutofthewindow,andlookedatyourscotcher,brother,andheaskedmeifthatwasyourownmaking。andwhenIsaidyes,andthatIwasyoursisterhesmiledatme,andputhishandintohiswaistcoatpocket,andthrewahandfulofhalfpenceintothehat,andIdaresayhegaveustheguineaalongwiththembecausehelikedyourscotchersomuch。
  Why,saidPaul,thatmightbe,tobesure,butIwishIwasquitecertainofit。
  Then,aswearenotquitecertain,hadnotwebestgoandaskmygrandmotherwhatshethinksaboutit?
  Paulthoughtthiswasexcellentadvice。andhewasnotasillyboy,whodidnotliketofollowgoodadvice。Hewentwithhissisterdirectlytohisgrandmother,showedhertheguinea,andtoldherhowtheycamebyit。
  Mydear,honestchildren,saidshe,Iamverygladyoutoldmeallthis。Iamverygladthatyoudidnotbuyeithertheplumsortheblanketwiththisguinea。I’msureitisnothonestlyours。Thosewhothrewityougaveityoubymistake,Iwarrant。andwhatIwouldhaveyoudois,togotoDunstable,andtryifyoucan,ateitheroftheinnsfindoutthepersonwhogaveittoyou。ItisnowsolateintheeveningthatperhapsthetravellerswillsleepatDunstable,insteadofgoingonthenextstage。anditislikelythatwhosoevergaveyouaguineainsteadofahalfpennyhasfoundouttheirmistakebythistime。Allyoucandoistogoandinquireforthegentlemanwhowasreadinginthechaise。
  Oh!interruptedPaul,Iknowagoodwayoffindinghimout。I
  rememberitwasadarkgreenchaisewithredwheels:andIrememberI
  readtheinnkeeper’snameuponthechaise,’JohnNelson。’Iammuchobligedtoyouforteachingmetoread,grandmother。Youtoldmeyesterday,grandmother,thatthenameswrittenuponchaisesaretheinnkeeperstowhomtheybelong。Ireadthenameoftheinnkeeperuponthatchaise。ItwasJohnNelson。SoAnneandIwillgotoboththeinnsinDunstable,andtrytofindoutthischaise——JohnNelson’s。Come,Anne。letussetoutbeforeitgetsquitedark。
  Anneandherbrotherpassedwithgreatcouragethetemptingstallthatwascoveredwithgingerbreadandripeplums,andpursuedtheirwaysteadilythroughthestreetsofDunstable。butPaul,whenhecametotheshopwherehehadseentheblanket,stoppedforamoment,andsaid,Itisagreatpity,Anne,thattheguineaisnotours。However,wearedoingwhatishonest,andthatisacomfort。Here,wemustgothroughthisgateway,intotheinn-yard。wearecometothe’DunCow。’
  Cow!saidAnne,Iseenocow。
  Lookup,andyou’llseethecowoveryourhead,saidPaul——thesign——
  thepicture。Come,nevermindlookingatitnow。IwanttofindoutthegreenchaisethathasJohnNelson’snameuponit。
  Paulpushedforward,throughacrowdedpassage,tillhegotintotheinn-
  yard。Therewasagreatnoiseandbustle。Thehostlerswerecarryinginluggage。Thepostillionswererubbingdownthehorses,orrollingthechaisesintothecoach-house。
  Whatnow!Whatbusinesshaveyouhere,pray?saidawaiter,whoalmostranoverPaul,ashewascrossingtheyardinagreathurrytogetsomeemptybottlesfromthebottle-rack。You’venobusinesshere,crowdinguptheyard。Walkoff,younggentleman,ifyouplease。
  Praygivemeleave,sir,saidPaul,tostayafewminutes,tolookamongstthesechaisesforonedarkgreenchaisewithredwheels,thathasMr。JohnNelson’snamewrittenuponit。
  What’sthathesaysaboutadarkgreenchaise?saidoneofthepostillions。
  Whatshouldsuchaoneasheisknowaboutchaises?interruptedthehastywaiter,andhevasgoingtoturnPauloutoftheyard。butthehostlercaughtholdofhisarmandsaid,Maybethechildhassomebusinesshere。let’sknowwhathehastosayforhimself。
  Thewaiterwasatthisinstantluckilyobligedtoleavethemtoattendthebell。andPaultoldhisbusinesstothehostler,whoassoonashesawtheguineaandheardthestory,shookPaulbythehand,andsaid,Standsteady,myhonestlad。I’llfindthechaiseforyou,ifitistobefoundhere。butJohnNelson’schaisesalmostalwaysdrivetothe’BlackBull。’
  Aftersomedifficulty,thegreenchaise,withJohnNelson’snameuponit,andthepostillionwhodrovethatchaise,werefound。andthepostilliontoldPaulthathewasjustgoingintotheparlourtothegentlemanhehaddriven,tobepaid,andthathewouldcarrytheguineawithhim。
  No,saidPaul,weshouldliketogiveitbackourselves。
  Yes,saidthehostler。thattheyhavearighttodo。
  Thepostillionmadenoreply,butlookedvexed,andwenttowardsthehouse,desiringthechildrenwouldwaitinthepassagetillhisreturn。
  Inthepassagetherewasstandingadecent,clean,goodnaturedlookingwoman,withtwohugestrawbasketsoneachsideofher。Oneofthebasketsstoodalittleinthewayoftheentrance。Amanwhowaspushinghiswayin,andcarriedinhishandastringofdeadlarkshungtoapole,impatientatbeingstopped,kickeddownthestrawbasket,andallitscontentswerethrownout。Brightstrawhats,andboxes,andslippers,wereallthrownindisorderuponthedirtyground。
  Oh,theywillbetrampledupon!Theywillbeallspoiled!exclaimedthewomantowhomtheybelonged。
  We’llhelpyoutopickthemupifyouwillletus,criedPaulandAnne。
  andtheyimmediatelyrantoherassistance。
  Whenthethingswereallsafeinthebasketagain,thechildrenexpressedadesiretoknowhowsuchbeautifulthingscouldbemadeofstraw。butthewomanhadnottimetoanswerbeforethepostillioncameoutoftheparlour,andwithhimagentleman’sservant,whocametoPaul,andclappinghimupontheback,said,So,mylittlechap,Igaveyouaguineaforahalfpenny,Ihear。andIunderstandyou’vebroughtitbackagain。that’sright,givemeholdofit。
  No,brother,saidAnne,thisisnotthegentlemanthatwasreading。
  Pooh,child,IcameinMr。Nelson’sgreenchaise。Here’sthepostillioncantellyouso。Iandmymastercameinthatchaise。Iandmymasterthatwasreading,asyousay,anditwashethatthrewthemoneyouttoyou。Heisgoingtobed。heistiredandcan’tseeyouhimself。Hedesiresthatyou’llgivemetheguinea。
  Hepushedthemtowardsthedoor。butthebasket-womanwhisperedtothemastheywentout,WaitinthestreettillIcometoyou。
  Pray,Mrs。Landlady,criedthisgentleman’sservant,addressinghimselftothelandlady,whojustthencameoutofaroomwheresomecompanywereatsupper,Pray,Mrs。Landlady,pleasetoletmehaveroastedlarksformysupper。YouarefamousforlarksatDunstable。andImakeitaruletotastethebestofeverythingwhereverIgo。and,waiter,letmehaveabottleofclaret。Doyouhear?
  Larksandclaretforhissupper,saidthebasket-womantoherself,asshelookedathimfromheadtofoot。Thepostillionwasstillwaiting,asiftospeaktohim。andsheobservedthemafterwardswhisperingandlaughingtogether。NOBADHIT,wasasentencewhichtheservantpronouncedseveraltimes。
  Nowitoccurredtothebasket-womanthatthismanhadcheatedthechildrenoutoftheguineatopayforthelarksandclaret。andshethoughtthatperhapsshecoulddiscoverthetruth。Shewaitedquietlyinthepassage。
  Waiter!Joe!Joe!criedthelandlady,whydon’tyoucarryinthesweetmeat-puffsandthetartsheretothecompanyinthebestparlour?
  Coming,ma’am,answeredthewaiter。andwithalargedishoftartsandpuffs,thewaitercamefromthebar。thelandladythrewopenthedoorofthebestparlour,tolethimin。andthebasket-womanhadnowafullviewofalargecheerfulcompany,andamongstthemseveralchildren,sittingroundasupper-table。
  Ay,whisperedthelandlady,asthedoorclosedafterthewaiterandthetarts,therearecustomersenough,Iwarrant,foryouinthatroom,ifyouhadbutthelucktobecalledin。Pray,whatwouldyouhavetheconscience,Iwondernow,tochargemefortheseherehalf-dozenlittlematstoputundermydishes?
  Atrifle,ma’am,saidthebasket-woman。Sheletthelandladyhavethematscheap,andthelandladythendeclaredshewouldstepinandseeifthecompanyinthebestparlourhaddonesupper。Whentheycometotheirwine,addedshe,I’llspeakagoodwordforyou,andgetyoucalledinaforethechildrenaresenttobed。
  Thelandlady,aftertheusualspeechof,Ihopethesupperandeverythingistoyourliking,ladiesandgentlemen,beganwith,IfanyoftheyounggentlemenorladieswouldhaveaCUR’OSITYtoseeanyofourfamousDunstablestraw-work,there’sadecentbodywithoutwould,I
  daresay,beproudtoshowthemherpincushion-boxes,andherbasketsandslippers,andherotherCUR’OSITIES。
  Theeyesofthechildrenallturnedtowardstheirmother。theirmothersmiled,andimmediatelytheirfathercalledinthebasket-woman,anddesiredhertoproduceherCURIOSITIES。Thechildrengatheredroundherlargepannierasitopened,buttheydidnottouchanyofherthings。
  Ah,papa!criedalittlerosygirl,hereareapairofstrawslippersthatwouldjustfityou,Ithink。butwouldnotstrawshoeswearoutverysoon?andwouldnottheyletinthewet?
  Yes,mydear,saidherfather,buttheseslippersaremeant——
  Forpowdering-slippers,miss,interruptedthebasket-woman。
  Towearwhenpeoplearepowderingtheirhair,continuedthegentleman,thattheymaynotspoiltheirothershoes。
  Andwillyoubuythem,papa?
  No,Icannotindulgemyself,saidherfather,inbuyingthemnow。I
  mustmakeamends,saidhe,laughing,formycarelessness。andasI
  threwawayaguineato-day,Imustendeavourtosavesixpenceatleast?
  Ah,theguineathatyouthrewbymistakeintothelittlegirl’shataswewerecomingupChalkHill。Mamma,Iwonderthatthelittlegirldidnottakenoticeofitsbeingaguinea,andthatshedidnotrunafterthechaisetogiveitbackagain。Ishouldthink,ifshehadbeenanhonestgirl,shewouldhavereturnedit。
  Miss!——ma’am!——sir!saidthebasket-woman,ifitwouldnotbeimpertinent,mayIspeakaword?Alittleboyandgirlhavejustbeenhereinquiringforagentlemanwhogavethemaguineainsteadofahalfpennybymistake。andnotfiveminutesagoIsawtheboygivetheguineatoagentleman’sservant,whoistherewithout,andwhosaidhismasterdesireditshouldbereturnedtohim。
  Theremustbesomemistake,orsometrickinthis,saidthegentleman。
  Arethechildrengone?Imustseethem——sendafterthem。
  I’llgoforthemmyself,saidthegoodnaturedbasket-woman。Ibidthemwaitinthestreetyonder,formymindmisgavemethatthemanwhospokesoshorttothemwasacheat,withhislarksandhisclaret。
  PaulandAnnewerespeedilysummoned,andbroughtbackbytheirfriendthebasket-woman。andAnne,themomentshesawthegentleman,knewthathewastheverypersonwhosmileduponher,whoadmiredherbrother’sscotcher,andwhothrewahandfulofhalfpenceintothehat。butshecouldnotbecertain,shesaid,thatshereceivedtheguineafromhim。
  sheonlythoughtitmostlikelythatshedid。
  ButIcanbecertainwhethertheguineayoureturnedbemineorno,
  saidthegentleman。Imarkedtheguinea。itwasalightone。theonlyguineaIhad,whichIputintomywaistcoatpocketthismorning。Herangthebell,anddesiredthewaitertoletthegentlemanwhowasintheroomoppositetohimknowthathewishedtoseehim。
  Thegentlemaninthewhiteparlour,sir,doyoumean?
  Imeanthemasteroftheservantwhoreceivedaguineafromthischild。
  HeisaMr。Pembroke,sir,saidthewaiter。
  Mr。Pembrokecame。andassoonasheheardwhathadhappened,hedesiredthewaitertoshowhimtotheroomwherehisservantwasatsupper。Thedishonestservant,whowassuppinguponlarksandclaret,knewnothingofwhatwasgoingon。buthisknifeandforkdroppedfromhishand,andheoverturnedabumperofclaretashestartedupfromthetable,ingreatsurpriseandterror,whenhismastercameinwithafaceofindignation,anddemandedTHEGUINEA——theGUINEA,sir!thatyougotfromthischild。
  thatguineawhichyousaidIorderedyoutoaskforfromthischild。
  Theservant,confoundedandhalfintoxicated,couldonlystammeroutthathehadmoreguineasthanoneabouthim,andthathereallydidnotknowwhichitwas。Hepulledhismoneyout,andspreadituponthetablewithtremblinghands。Themarkedguineaappeared。Hismasterinstantlyturnedhimoutofhisservicewithstrongexpressionsofcontempt。
  Andnow,mylittlehonestgirl,saidthegentlemanwhohadadmiredherbrother’sscotcher,turningtoAnne,andnowtellmewhoyouare,andwhatyouandyourbrotherwantorwishformostintheworld。
  InthesamemomentAnneandPaulexclaimed,Thethingwewishforthemostintheworldisablanketforourgrandmother。
  Sheisnotourgrandmotherinreality,Ibelieve,sir,saidPaul。butsheisjustasgoodtous,andtaughtmetoread,andtaughtAnnetoknit,andtaughtusboththatweshouldbehonest——soshehas。andIwishshehadanewblanketbeforenextwinter,tokeepherfromthecoldandtherheumatism。Shehadtherheumatismsadlylastwinter,sir。andthereisablanketinthisstreetthatwouldbejustthethingforher。
  Sheshallhaveit,then。and,continuedthegentleman,Iwilldosomethingmoreforyou。Doyouliketobeemployedortobeidlebest?
  Weliketohavesomethingtodoalways,ifwecould,sir,saidPaul。
  butweareforcedtobeidlesometimes,becausegrandmotherhasnotalwaysthingsforustodothatweCANdowell。
  Shouldyouliketolearnhowtomakesuchbasketsasthese?saidthegentleman,pointingtooneoftheDunstablestraw-baskets。Oh,verymuch!saidPaul。Verymuch!saidAnne。
  ThenIshouldliketoteachyouhowtomakethem,saidthebasket-
  woman。forI’msureofonething,thatyou’dbehavehonestlytome。
  Thegentlemanputaguineaintothegoodnaturedbasket-woman’shand,andtoldherthatheknewshecouldnotaffordtoteachthemhertradefornothing。IshallcomethroughDunstableagaininafewmonths,addedhe。andIhopetoseethatyouandyourscholarsaregoingonwell。IfIfindthattheyare,Iwilldosomethingmoreforyou。
  But,saidAnne,wemusttellallthistograndmother,andaskheraboutit。andI’mafraid——thoughI’mveryhappy——thatitisgettingverylate,andthatweshouldnotstayhereanylonger。
  Itisafinemoonlightnight,saidthebasket-woman。andisnotfar。
  I’llwalkwithyou,andseeyousafehomemyself。
  Thegentlemandetainedthemafewminuteslonger,tillamessengerwhomhehaddispatchedtopurchasethemuchwishedforblanketreturned。
  Yourgrandmotherwillsleepwelluponthisgoodblanket,Ihope,saidthegentleman,ashegaveitintoPaul’sopenedarms。Ithasbeenobtainedforherbythehonestyofheradoptedchildren。
  End