nce with as much obstinacy as the little old lady had
refused to believe his guilt.

On reaching home he found his mother alone in a state of amused
agitation which suggested to his mind the idea of Old Tom.

"Wot, bin at it again, mother?"

"No, no, Bobby, but somethin's happened which amuses me much, an' I
can't keep it to myself no longer, so I'll tell it to you, Bobby."

"Fire away, then, mother, an' remember that the law don't compel no one
to criminate hisself."

"You know, Bob, that a good while ago our Matty disappeared. I saw that
the dear child was dyin' for want o' food an' warmth an' fresh air, so I
thinks to myself, `why shouldn't I put 'er out to board wi' rich people
for nothink?'"

"A wery correct notion, an' cleverer than I gave you credit for. I'm
glad to ear it too, for I feared sometimes that you'd bin an' done it."

"Oh! Bobby, how could you ever think that! Well, I put the baby out to
board with a family of the name of Twitter. Now it seems, all unbeknown
to me, Mrs Twitter is a great helper at the George Yard Ragged Schools,
where our Hetty has often seen her; but as we've bin used never to speak
about the work there, as your father didn't like it, of course I know'd
nothin' about Mrs Twitter bein' given to goin' there. Well, it seems
she's very free with her money and gives a good deal away to poor
people." (She's not the only one, thought the boy.) "So what does the
Bible-nurse do when she hears about poor Hetty's illness but goes off
and asks Mrs Twitter to try an' git her a situation."

"`Oh! I know Hetty,' says Mrs Twitter at once, `That nice girl that
teaches one o' the Sunday-school classes. Send her to me. I want a
nurse for our baby,' that's for Matty, Bob--"

"What! _our_ baby!" exclaimed the boy with a sudden blaze of excitement.

"Yes--our baby. She calls it _hers_!"

"Well, now," said Bobby, after recovering from the fit of laughter and
thigh-slapping into which this news had thrown him, "if this don't beat
cockfightin' all to nuffin'! why, mother, Hetty'll know baby the moment
she claps eyes on it."

"Of course she will," said Mrs Frog; "it is really very awkward, an' I
can't think what to do. I'm half afraid to tell Hetty."

"Oh! don't tell her--don't tell her," cried the boy, whose eyes sparkled
with mischievous glee. "It'll be sich fun! If I 'ad on'y the chance to
stand be'ind a door an' see the meetin' I wouldn't exchange it--no not
for a feed of pork