teeth, as I
looked up, and there was his grubby fist coming out of the hole in the
ceiling, and being shaken at me.

I rushed at the ladder, and had ascended a couple of rounds, when bang
went the trap-door, and there was a bump, which I knew meant that Shock
had seated himself on the trap, so that I could not get it up.

"Oh, all right!" I said aloud. "I sha'n't come after you, you dirty
old grub. I'm going away to-day, and you can shake your fist at
somebody else."

I had satisfied myself that Brother Solomon's horse was all right, so I
now strode up to the house and told Mrs Dodley to spread the table for
a visitor, and said that I should want my clean things as I was going
away.

"What! for a holiday?" she said.

"No; I'm going away altogether," I said.

"I know'd it," she cried angrily; "I know'd it. I always said it would
come to that with you mixing yourself up with that bye. A nasty dirty
hay-and-straw-sleeping young rascal, as is more like a monkey than a
bye. And now you're to be sent away."

"Yes," I said grimly; "now I'm to be sent away."

She stood frowning at me for a minute, and then took off her dirty apron
and put on a clean one, with a good deal of angry snatching.

"I shall just go and give Mr Brownsmith a bit of my mind," she said.
"I won't have you sent away like that, and all on account of that bye."

"No, no," I said. "I'm going away with Mr Brownsmith's brother, to
learn all about hothouses I suppose."

"Oh, my dear bye!" she exclaimed. "You mustn't do that. You'll have to
be stoking and poking all night long, and ketch your death o' cold, and
be laid up, and be ill-used, and be away from everybody who cares for
you, and and I don't want you to go."

The tears began to run down the poor homely-looking woman's face, and
affected me, so that I was obliged to run out, or I should have caught
her complaint.

"I must be a man over it," I said. "I suppose it's right;" and I went
off down the garden to say "Good-bye" to the men and women, and have a
few last words with Ike.

As I went down the garden I suddenly began to feel that for a long time
past it had been my home, and that every tree I passed was an old
friend. I had not known it before, but it struck me now that I had been
very happy there leading a calm peaceable life; and now I was going away
to fresh troubles and cares amongst strangers, and it seemed as if I
should never be so happy again.

To make matters wor