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"O, yes," I said.

"You're not afraid of my running off with your furniture, then," he said smiling in a way that made me go sick -- it was so like a dead man's smile.

"And when papa grows rich," said little Nelly, seriously, without once taking her great eyes from my face, "he'll play you more than it's all worth, won't you, papa?"

"When I grow rich, my darling." His head fell on his hand, and he gave such a long, trembling sigh, that I half started up.

"You are to grow rich, you know, papa, very rich; for he made such a nice thing for -- for Government" -- it seemed such a large word for her to say -- "and they keep promising, you know, but poor papa has to pay so much that he's got tired of going for it, haven't you, papa?"

"I'm tired of my life," he said, in a low voice -- so low I could but just catch it; "it's been years of longing, hoping, waiting. It killed your mother, it will kill me; and all the time men are growing rich on the fruits of my labor. O, it's a wearisome world!"

"Don't cry, papa," she whispered, again, all of a tremble, "please don't cry!"

"No, dear, I won't cry; I've done with tears," he said, getting' up, an, then stoopin' down and kissin' her. "It's damp here;" he was shiverin' now, as I never see any one shiver before. "Where do you keep your coals, my boy?"

I showed him, and there being a few there, I broke an old box and scraped them all up, and soon there was enough fire to keep the chill off. Then I offered to buy his coals if he didn't want to go out, which he accepted, thankful, and somehow it made me happy to help him.

Reg'lar as the day come, he had his little money to pay me, an' he always seemed glad to see me, and always had papers about, looking of 'em over; and Nelly -- oh! how beautiful she made that old room look! They had rigged up short curtains to the winders, so that the rags opposite wasn't visible only when very drunk and drawin' attention by their noise, an' I was as happy as a king, settin' there after a hard day's work. I offered to learn Nelly my trade, and though her father objected serious, at first, he came down to it, particularly after a long fit of coughing, one night, enough to rack a man's body to bits. So I learned her, and she did it so pretty with them little white fingers, it were a pleasure to see her.

Business came slack along my beat one time, and bein' independent, I wouldn't stay in the old place, but goes to another part of the city try my luck. Sometimes it was oranges, and sometimes papers, and then again matches; but I allays did somethin', and seemed to be doing it for Nelly all the time, as I put the ha'pence in my pocket.

It wouldn't be believed what kept life in my body in them days, for I had growed stingy, and no meat-pies, only a mouthful of bread.

One day I got down in my old place, an' I come across Susan M'Cumsty, as keeps a decent stall in the corner of a certain street, and is a honest, respectable, fair dealing person, as obliged me more than once in the orange way, which I've allays paid her up honorable. She, living in Wynch Mews, had always knowed mother and me, so says she,

"There's sickness going on in the old house."

My heart was in my throat, so to say. "It's the little girl," I said, "I knowed she'd git her death there."

"No it ain't, it's the old man," said Mrs. M'Cumsty, "the old gent, as we calls him, for a rejuiced gen'leman he is, as sure as I sells apples. He's sick into his bed, and never goin' to git off of it agin, I thinks," said she. With that I put up my stock, for it was coming night, and cut away to the old place all in a tremble, fearing of the worst. I'd put a orange and an apple in my pockets for Nelly, and trusted to Providence to hide the holes in my shoes, which, being on the tramp allays, won't last forever; and when I got there I was that out o' breath that I had to sit on to the door-step and wait till my tremble was gone. When I got upstairs, an' knocked, little Nelly came to the door.

"He's here, papa, he's here!" she cried, dancin' back and forth, and almost in the same breath, "Papa's better tonight, he's quite himself, ain't you, papa?"

"Yes, dear, I am better," he said. Good evening, my boy, I was wishing you would come."

"You haven't felt so well for months, have you, papa?" Nelly cried.

"No, dear, I really think I haven't felt so well for months."

"You see there's a letter come today with a promise in it, and it's made papa so well and happy!"

He did look well, one sort of way, that is, he was bolstered up, and his eyes were so bright that they blazed, and his cheeks were a lovely red.

"I'm going to make him some toast said Nelly, and bustled round that important that it did one's eyes good to see her. "Papa likes toast so well, and if you'd like, I'll make you some."

I told her no, I didn't care, that I wasn't a bit hungry, which I hope to be forgive for, an' I took out the orange, an' she run and give it to her father, and sparkled like a diamond she was so pleased. Then I sat down by him and left her to her work.