by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER X.
HIGHLY RESPECTABLE.
As old Oliver was stooping over his desk on the counter, and bringing hisdim eyes as close as he could to the letter he was writing, his shop-doorwas darkened by the unexpected entrance of his sister Charlotte herself.She was dressed with her usual extreme neatness, bordering upongentility, and she carried upon her arm a small fancy reticule, whichcontained some fresh eggs, and a few russet apples, brought up expresslyfrom the country. Oliver welcomed her with more than ordinary pleasure,and led her at once into his room behind. Charlotte's quick eyes detectedin an instant the traces of a child's dwelling there; and before Olivercould utter a word, she picked up a little frock, and was holding it outat arm's length, with an air of utter surprise and misgiving.
"Brother James!" she exclaimed, and her questioning voice, with its toneof amazement, rang very clearly into his ears.
"It's my little Dolly's," he answered, in haste; "poor Susan's littlegirl, who's gone out with her husband, young Raleigh, to India, becausehe's 'listed, and left her little girl with me, her grandfather. She cameon the very last day you were here."
"Well, to be sure!" cried his sister, sinking down on a chair, but stillkeeping the torn little frock in her hand.
"I've had two letters from poor Susan," he continued, in a tremulousvoice, "and I'll read them to you. The child's such a precious treasureto me, Charlotte--such a little love, a hundred times better than anygold; and now you're come to mend up her clothes a bit, and see what shewants for me, there's nothing else that I desire. I was writing about herto 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 poorSusan's letters, and then you'll understand all about it. I couldn't giveher 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'lldo her sewing, and see to her manners. Ay, that I will! for who shouldknow manners better than me, who used to work for the Staniers, and dineat the housekeeper's table, with the butler and all the head servants? tobe sure I'll take care that she does not grow up ungenteel. Where is thedear 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 underfive years old could never go out all alone in London: at least I shouldthink 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, fixinghim with her glittering eyes in a manner which did not tend to restorehis composure.
"I don't know, sister," he said in a feeble tone.
"Don't know, brother James!" she exclaimed. "Don't you know wherehe lives?"
"He lives here," stammered old Oliver; "at least he sleeps here under thecounter; but he finds his own food about the streets."
Charlotte's consternation was past all powers of speech. Here was herbrother, a respectable man, who had seen better days, and whose sisterhad been a dressmaker in good families, harbouring in his own house acommon 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 waspoor Susan's little girl dwelling under the same roof; the child whosepretty manners she was to attend to, living in constant companionshipwith a vulgar and vicious boy! What she might have said upon recoveringher speech, neither she nor Oliver ever knew; for at this crisis Tonyhimself appeared, carrying Dolly and his new broom in his arms, andlooking 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, gan-pa," shouted Dolly, as she camethrough the shop, and before she perceived the presence of a stranger;"and Tony and Dolly made a great big crossing, and dot ever so muchmoney--"
She was suddenly silent as soon as her eye fell upon the stranger; butAunt Charlotte had heard enough. She rose with great dignity from herchair, and was about to address herself vehemently to Tony, when oldOliver interrupted her.
"Charlotte," he said, "the boy's a good boy, and he's a help to me. Icouldn't send him away. He's one of the Lord's poor little ones as arescattered up and down in this great city, without father or mother, and Imust do all I can for him. It isn't much; it's only a bed under thecounter, and a crust now and then, and he more than pays for it. Youmusn't come betwixt me and Tony."
Old Oliver spoke so emphatically, that his sister was impressed andsilenced for a minute. She took the little girl away from Tony, andglared 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 areragged and ignorant, and not fit to live with this little girl," shecontinued, with energy. "If this little girl's mother saw her going aboutwith 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 littlegirl, Miss Dorothy Raleigh, as I suppose her name is, you must get allthese things. You must begin to learn to read and write, and talkproperly. I shall come here again in a month's time--I shall come everymonth now--and if you haven't got some shoes for your feet, and a cap foryour head, before I see you again, I shall just take the little girl awaydown into the country, where I live, and you'll never see her again. Doyou understand?"
"Yes," answered Tony, nodding his head.
"Then you may take yourself away now," said the sharp old woman, "I don'twant to be too hard upon you; but I've got this little girl to look afterfor her mother, and you must do as I say, or I shall carry her right offto be out of your way. Take your broom and go; and never you think ofsuch a thing as taking this little girl to sweep a crossing again. Inever heard of such a thing. There, go!"
Tony slunk away sadly, with a sudden down-heartedness. He returned sojoyous and triumphant, in spite of his weariness, that this unexpectedand unpleasant greeting had been a very severe shock to him. With hisbroom over his shoulder, and with his listless, slouching steps, hesauntered slowly back to his crossing; but he had no heart for it now.