as old oliver was stooping over his desk on the counter, and bringing his dim eyes as close as he could to the letter he was writing, his shop-door was darkened by the unexpected entrance of his sister charlotte herself. she was dressed with her usual extreme neatness, bordering upon gentility, and she carried upon her arm a small fancy reticule, which contained some fresh eggs, and a few russet apples, brought up expressly from the country. oliver welcomed her with more than ordinary pleasure, and led her at once into his room behind. charlotte's quick eyes detected in an instant the traces of a child's dwelling there; and before oliver could utter a word, she picked up a little frock, and was holding it out at arm's length, with an air of utter surprise and misgiving.
"brother james!" she exclaimed, and her questioning voice, with its tone of amazement, rang very clearly into his ears.
"it's my little dolly's," he answered, in haste; "poor susan's little girl, who's gone out with her husband, young raleigh, to india, because he's 'listed, and left her little girl with me, her grandfather. she came on the very last day you were here."
"well, to be sure!" cried his sister, sinking down on a chair, but still keeping the torn little frock in her hand.
"i've had two letters from poor susan," he continued, in a tremulous voice, "and i'll read them to you. the child's such a precious treasure to me, charlotte—such a little love, a hundred times better than any gold; and now you're come to mend up her clothes a bit, and see what she wants for me, there's nothing else that i desire. i was writing about her to you when you came in."
"i thought you'd gone and picked up a lost child out of the streets," said charlotte, with a sigh of relief.
"no, no; she's my own," he answered. "you hearken while i read poor susan's letters, and then you'll understand all about it. i couldn't give her up for a hundred gold guineas—not for a deal more than that."
he knew susan's letters off by heart, and did not need his spectacles, nor a good light to read them by. charlotte listened with emphatic nods, and many exclamations of astonishment.
"that's very pretty of susan," she remarked, "saying as aunt charlotte 'll do her sewing, and see to her manners. ay, that i will! for who should know manners better than me, who used to work for the staniers, and dine at the housekeeper's table, with the butler and all the head servants? to be sure i'll take care that she does not grow up ungenteel. where is the dear child, brother james?"
"she's gone out for a walk this fine morning," he answered.
"not alone?" cried charlotte. "who's gone out with her? a child under five years old could never go out all alone in london: at least i should think not. she might get run over and killed a score of times."
"oh! there's a person with her i've every confidence in," replied oliver.
"what sort of person; man or woman; male or female?" inquired charlotte.
"a boy," he answered, in some confusion.
"a boy!" repeated his sister, as if he had said a monster. "what boy?"
"his name's tony," he replied.
"but where does he come from? is he respectable?" she pursued, fixing him with her glittering eyes in a manner which did not tend to restore his composure.
"i don't know, sister," he said in a feeble tone.
"don't know, brother james!" she exclaimed. "don't you know where he lives?"
"he lives here," stammered old oliver; "at least he sleeps here under the counter; but he finds his own food about the streets."
charlotte's consternation was past all powers of speech. here was her brother, a respectable man, who had seen better days, and whose sister had been a dressmaker in good families, harbouring in his own house a common boy off the streets, who, no doubt, was a thief and pickpocket, with all sorts of low ways and bad language. at the same time there was poor susan's little girl dwelling under the same roof; the child whose pretty manners she was to attend to, living in constant companionship with a vulgar and vicious boy! what she might have said upon recovering her speech, neither she nor oliver ever knew; for at this crisis tony himself appeared, carrying dolly and his new broom in his arms, and looking very haggard and tattered himself, his bare feet black with mud, and his bare head in a hopeless condition of confusion, and tangle.
"we've bought a geat big boom, ganpa," shouted dolly, as she came through the shop, and before she perceived the presence of a stranger; "and tony and dolly made a great big crossing, and dot ever so much money——"
she was suddenly silent as soon as her eye fell upon the stranger; but aunt charlotte had heard enough. she rose with great dignity from her chair, and was about to address herself vehemently to tony, when old oliver interrupted her.
"charlotte," he said, "the boy's a good boy, and he's a help to me. i couldn't send him away. he's one of the lord's poor little ones as are scattered up and down in this great city, without father or mother, and i must do all i can for him. it isn't much; it's only a bed under the counter, and a crust now and then, and he more than pays for it. you musn't come betwixt me and tony."
old oliver spoke so emphatically, that his sister was impressed and silenced for a minute. she took the little girl away from tony, and glared at him with a sternness which made him feel very uncomfortable; but her eye softened a little, and her face grew less harsh.
"you can't read or write?" she said, in a sharp voice.
"no," he answered.
"and you've not got any manners, or boots, or a cap on your head. you are ragged and ignorant, and not fit to live with this little girl," she continued, with energy. "if this little girl's mother saw her going about with a boy in bare feet and a bare head, it 'ud break her heart i know. so if you wish to stay here with my brother, mr. oliver, and this little girl, miss dorothy raleigh, as i suppose her name is, you must get all these things. you must begin to learn to read and write, and talk properly. i shall come here again in a month's time—i shall come every month now—and if you haven't got some shoes for your feet, and a cap for your head, before i see you again, i shall just take the little girl away down into the country, where i live, and you'll never see her again. do you understand?"
"yes," answered tony, nodding his head.
"then you may take yourself away now," said the sharp old woman, "i don't want to be too hard upon you; but i've got this little girl to look after for her mother, and you must do as i say, or i shall carry her right off to be out of your way. take your broom and go; and never you think of such a thing as taking this little girl to sweep a crossing again. i never heard of such a thing. there, go!"
tony slunk away sadly, with a sudden downheartedness. he returned so joyous and triumphant, in spite of his weariness, that this unexpected and unpleasant greeting had been a very severe shock to him. with his broom over his shoulder, and with his listless, slouching steps, he sauntered slowly back to his crossing; but he had no heart for it now.
