stumble, as if he was not quite certain where he
was going.

"Now I had often noticed the man who used to beat me, and from whom I
had run away, walk something like that, and yet I knew at once it was
not owing to the same reason, and I was rather puzzled to account for
it, as the Alderman had never walked like that before, and had always
been so upright and brisk.

"As the different evenings went on he grew worse and worse, until one
night I found him slowly groping his way across the Square, with his
hands stretched out in front of him, as if he was frightened of running
into something at every step: that was the first evening I led him
across the Square and over the road the other side; he seemed to
dislike the idea of the steps, and always avoided them, I noticed.

"I did this for several evenings, and he never gave me anything, but as
he was an old friend of Lal's I did it more for Lal's sake than for the
Miser's, as I now called him; yet he seldom even thanked me for
assisting him, although it was only too evident that he ought not to be
walking by himself. A few days went by with nothing in particular to
remember about them, until the evening arrived that was to be the
turning-point in two people's lives, but at the time I knew nothing of
this, for my small mind was overwhelmed with the first great childish
grief of my life. I hadn't earned even one copper that day, and Sam
and I had not had a crumb to eat. I think we must have both looked
very thin and white. I know that Sam's bones could be seen plainer
than ever through his dear, shaggy old brown coat; but Sam never
complained, he stuck to me closer than ever; nobody ever had a better
friend than he was.

"As ill luck would have it, Sam and I were crossing the wide street
where the traffic is always heaviest, before turning in at our old
quarters for the night. One of the many omnibuses passed, and somebody
either dropped or threw a small bag of biscuits over the side of it;
some rolled in the road, but a lot were left in the bag.

"Sam, who was the finest dog for spotting grub I have ever known, went
for it like lightning; he had got it in his mouth, and was scurrying
back to me in triumph with his old ears back, full of the importance of
his find, when a two-horsed mail van struck him down in the road and
went over him. I went in between all the maze of wheels and got him
out; he was whimpering like a hurt child. I didn't wait for anything,
I c