ngs sometimes as I
don't mean," whined the wretched creature. "Give me the money, dear,
and let me go."

"If I give it to yer, you won't say no more about my coming away?"

"No, dear; I only want to see you happy."

"Well, there, then," he said, giving her the coins; "and, I say--"

"Yes, my precious."

"You ain't to spend none of it in gin."

"Gin? Oh, no, my dear."

"Get some pudding out of Holborn, and a saveloy; and, I say, mother, get
yourself a bit o' tea."

"Yes, my darling."

"And don't let Mrs Billson gammon you into lending her none of it."

"No, my dear. And there, good-bye, Bob; be a good boy. I won't come
wherriting of you no more'n I can help."

The miserable object, from whom out of compassion Richmond Chartley had
rescued the boy, shuffled along the street to the nearest public-house,
to buy more plus spirit with which to attack her miserable minus spirit,
with the result that, as a mathematical problem, one would kill the
other as sure as Fate.

Meanwhile Bob stood on the step watching her.

"Wonder whether the old gal does like me? Somehow she allus goes as
soon as she gets all a chap's got. Now she'll go and have a drop. She
allus does when she says she won't."

"Bob! you Bob!" came in a shrill voice from the kitchen stairs.

"Can't you see I'm a-coming?" cried the boy; and hurriedly closing the
door, he returned to his work.

CHAPTER FOUR.

PUBLIC OPINION ON CURRENT EVENTS.

These was a desperate scuffle going on round the corner as Hendon
Chartley came by one day, and he would have passed on without seeing it,
only that his English blood was stirred at the way in which the odds
were all on one side--four boys being engaged in pummelling one who, in
spite of the thrashing he was getting, fought on boldly, till, with a
couple of sharp cuts of his cane, Hendon settled two of the combatants,
when the other two ran away.

"Thankye, sir."

"You young dog, is it you?" cried Hendon.

"Yes, sir; and I should ha' licked all on 'em if you hadn't come."

"Why, you ungrateful young rascal, be off back and wash your face. Look
here: I'll have you turned away."

"No, sir; please, sir, don't, sir. I couldn't help it, sir, I was
obliged to fight, sir; I was indeed, sir. Oh, don't, sir; you hurts!"

Hendon listened to no remonstrance, but catching the boy by the collar
he thrust him back till he reached the door, which he opened with his
latch-key, and, bundling the boy i