wo would do this good. There's the ganger hollering after you."

"Yes!" I cried, and I went towards where Mr Brownsmith was standing.

"Look here, Grant," he said, looking very red in the face. "Sir Francis
has given me this to buy you a watch by and by. He says you're too
young to have one now, but I'm to buy it and keep it for you a year or
two. Five pounds."

"I'm much obliged to him," I said rather dolefully; but I did not feel
at all pleased, and Mr Solomon looked disappointed, and I'm afraid he
thought I was rather a queer boy.

At the end of the week I heard that Courtenay was better, but that he
was to go with his brother down to the seaside, and to my great delight
they went; and though I thought the lad might have said, "Thank you," to
me for saving his life, I was so pleased to find he was going, that this
troubled me very little, for it was as if a holiday time had just begun.

The effects of my adventure soon passed away, and the days glided on
most enjoyably. There was plenty to do in the glass-houses, but it was
always such interesting work that I was never tired of it; and it was
delightful to me to see the fruit ripening and the progress of the
glorious flowers that we grew. Mr Solomon was always ready to tell or
show me anything, and I suppose he was satisfied with me, for he used to
nod now and then--he never praised; and Mrs Solomon sometimes smiled at
me, but not very often.

The autumn was well advanced when one day Mr Solomon told me that he
had arranged for Ike, as he was a good carter, to go with the strongest
horse and cart to a place he named in Surrey, to fetch a good load of a
particular kind of silver sand for potting.

"It's a long journey, Grant," he said; "and you'll have to start very
early, but I thought you would like to go. Be a change."

"I should like it," I said. "Does Ike know I'm going?"

"No; you can tell him."

I went down to Ike, who was as usual digging, for he was the best
handler of a spade in the garden, and he liked the work.

"Hullo!" he said surlily.

"I'm to go with you for the sand, Ike," I cried.

"Think o' that now!" he replied with a grim smile. "Why, I was just
a-thinking it would be like going off with the old cart and Bonyparty to
market, and how you and me went."

"With Shock on the top of the load," I said laughing.

"Ay, to be sure. Well, he's a-going this time to help mind the horse.
And so you are going too?"

"Yes," I said mi