ught he had better be on the move too,
for money must be earned somehow before Willie could have his breakfast.

They were just about to start when they heard the voice of the landlady
calling to them. She had noticed how pinched and starved they looked when
they came in the night before and felt sorry for them.

"Come in here, little 'uns," she said, putting her head out of the room
door. "Bless me, you look famished. Got any breakfast?"

"No," said Bob; "we was going to see if we could earn some money,
so's we could buy some."

"Where's yer mother?" she asked shortly.

"She's been dead a long while," answered Bob.

"Yes," chimed in Willie. "Mother's dead, and we've runned away from
father. He beat us."

"Poor little chap!" said the woman, looking at the younger boy. And then
she made him sit by the fire, while she poured out two cups of steaming hot
coffee. It was very weak, hardly more than coloured water, but to the
little waifs it was the most delicious thing they had tasted for months,
and as they drank their coffee and ate their bread and butter, the woman's
heart warmed towards them. She smiled several times at Willie's chatter,
as he told of the life on the streets.

"Soon's we can get enuf money," he said, "Bob'll buy me a broom,
then I'll 'elp."

"Wouldn't you like to help now?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied, "but brooms cost a lot o' money."

"So they do," said the woman. "Besides, you're not big enough yet, but you
could sell some matches, couldn't you? See, I'll lend you this sixpence to
get some with," and then she told Bob the best place to buy them, and how
his little brother was to sell them.

Willie's eyes gleamed with delight, but all he could say was, "Oh, Bob!"

The little fellow proved a splendid salesman. However ragged his clothes
might be, his face was always clean, for the boys never missed their
morning wash in Trafalgar Square, and he found several customers, who were
attracted by his bright face and cheery voice as he called out "Box o'
lights, sir! box o' lights!" and his happiness reached its height when he
was able to put into Bob's hand quite a heap of pennies, the result of his
morning's efforts.

When the evening came they made their way back to the lodging-house,
buying, on their way, half a loaf and some cheese to take in for their
supper. Bob had a good day himself so that he had managed to save
threepence towards paying back the sixpence their kind frie