ty
of Salem House; and which he wound up by shaking hands with Steerforth;
while we gave three cheers--I did not quite know what for, but I supposed
for Steerforth, and joined in them, though I felt miserable. Mr. Creakle
then caned Tommy Traddles for being discovered in tears, instead of
cheers, and went away leaving us to ourselves.

Steerforth was very angry with Traddles, and said he was glad he had
caught it. Poor Traddles, who had passed the stage of lying with his head
upon the desk, and was relieving himself as usual with a burst of
skeletons, said he didn't care. Mr. Mell was ill-used.

"Who has ill-used him, you girl?" said Steerforth.

"Why, you have," returned Traddles.

"What have I done?" said Steerforth.

"What have you done?" retorted Traddles. "Hurt his feelings and lost him
his situation."

"His feelings!" repeated Steerforth, disdainfully. "His feelings will soon
get the better of it, I'll be bound. His feelings are not like yours, Miss
Traddles! As to his situation--which was a precious one, wasn't it?--do
you suppose I am not going to write home and take care that he gets some
money?"

We all thought this intention very noble in Steerforth, whose mother was a
rich widow, and, it was said, would do anything he asked her. We were all
very glad to see Traddles so put down, and exalted Steerforth to the
skies, and none of us appreciated at that time that our hero, J.
Steerforth was very, very small indeed, as to character, in comparison to
funny, unfortunate Tommy Traddles.

Years later, when Salem House was only a memory, and we were both men,
Traddles and I met again. He had the same simple character and good temper
as of old, and had, too, some of his old unlucky fortune, which clung to
him always; yet notwithstanding that--as all of his trouble came from
good-natured meddling with other people's affairs, for their benefit, I am
not at all certain that I would not risk my chance of success--in the
broadest meaning of that word--in the next world surely, if not in this,
against all the Steerforths living, if I were Tommy Traddles.

Poor Traddles?--No, happy Traddles!

"DEPUTY"

[Illustration: "DEPUTY".]

They were certainly the very oddest pair that ever the moon shone
on,--Stony Durdles and the boy "Deputy."

Durdles was a stone-mason, from which occupation, undoubtedly, came his
nickname "Stony," and Deputy was a hideous small boy hired by Durdles to
pelt him home if he foun