honestly believe I thought much more of the pleasure it would give the
poor people who had charitably taken care of me in my destitution, than
of the benefit I should myself derive from it.

The tide had only run off a very little when the ring was thrown in, so
that I had a considerable time to wait; but though I grew very hungry,
and felt that I might enjoy a plentiful meal, I would not quit my post;
indeed, I was accustomed to starve, so that did not incommode me much.

Slowly the tide receded, and one after one the other boys went away. At
last the bank appeared, and the intervening space was left with very
little water over it. I was in hopes that none of the other boys would
return to interrupt me in my search; but, to my annoyance, just as the
mud was left quite clear, two of them came back, and immediately tucking
up their trousers, hurried into the mud.

CHAPTER TWO.

NEW FRIENDS.

Now it so happened that I had carefully noted where the penny had
fallen, and if I had been alone, I could have gone straight to the
place. But, wishing to mislead my rivals in the search, I waded into
the water at a considerable distance from the spot. Glad of a clue, the
other mud-larks came over to me in a hurry, and began hunting about.
Leaving them there, I went to another place, and so on till I gradually
approached the spot where I thought the ring had fallen. They again
followed me, and as I was stooping down I heard one of them cry out, and
I thought he had found the treasure, but it was only the penny Mr Wells
had thrown me. "Ho! ho!" I thought, "the ring will not have reached as
far as that, but I must make haste and find it, or it will be too dark
to see anything." The other boys thought the ring must be close to the
penny, and kept turning up the mud in every direction round it, while I
worked my way straight on to where the boat had been. I had begun to
think that I must have passed it, when I saw something glitter in a
little pool of water just under a large stone. I stooped down, and to
my joy I found that it was the gold ring. My first impulse was to sing
out, but then it struck me that I might run some chance of being robbed
of my treasure, and that it would be a just punishment to the naughty
boys to keep them still hunting for it; so, instead of saying anything
about the matter, I pretended to be groping on as before, and at last,
on getting near the shore, I exclaimed that there was no chance