rejoined the old lady. 'A very good lad, and I am
sure he is a good son.'

Kit acknowledged these expressions of confidence by touching his hat
again and blushing very much. The old gentleman then handed the old
lady out, and after looking at him with an approving smile, they went
into the house--talking about him as they went, Kit could not help
feeling. Presently Mr Witherden, smelling very hard at the nosegay,
came to the window and looked at him, and after that Mr Abel came and
looked at him, and after that the old gentleman and lady came and
looked at him again, and after that they all came and looked at him
together, which Kit, feeling very much embarrassed by, made a pretence
of not observing. Therefore he patted the pony more and more; and this
liberty the pony most handsomely permitted.

The faces had not disappeared from the window many moments, when Mr
Chuckster in his official coat, and with his hat hanging on his head
just as it happened to fall from its peg, appeared upon the pavement,
and telling him he was wanted inside, bade him go in and he would mind
the chaise the while. In giving him this direction Mr Chuckster
remarked that he wished that he might be blessed if he could make out
whether he (Kit) was 'precious raw' or 'precious deep,' but intimated
by a distrustful shake of the head, that he inclined to the latter
opinion.

Kit entered the office in a great tremor, for he was not used to going
among strange ladies and gentlemen, and the tin boxes and bundles of
dusty papers had in his eyes an awful and venerable air. Mr Witherden
too was a bustling gentleman who talked loud and fast, and all eyes
were upon him, and he was very shabby.

'Well, boy,' said Mr Witherden, 'you came to work out that
shilling;--not to get another, hey?'

'No indeed, sir,' replied Kit, taking courage to look up. 'I never
thought of such a thing.'

'Father alive?' said the Notary.

'Dead, sir.'

'Mother?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Married again--eh?'

Kit made answer, not without some indignation, that she was a widow
with three children, and that as to her marrying again, if the
gentleman knew her he wouldn't think of such a thing. At this reply Mr
Witherden buried his nose in the flowers again, and whispered behind
the nosegay to the old gentleman that he believed the lad was as honest
a lad as need be.

'Now,' said Mr Garland when they had made some further inquiries of
him, 'I am not going to give you any