necessity of getting in his daily stock of newspapers, entirely slipped
his memory; and he was only recalled to it by a very loud rapping at the
door as he was pouring out Dolly's breakfast. To his great surprise he
discovered that he had forgotten to take down his shutters, though it was
past the hour when his best customers passed by.

The person knocking proved to be none other than Tony, who greeted the
old man's appearance with a prolonged whistle, and a grave and
reproachful stare.

"Come," he said, in a tone of remonstrance, "this'll never do, you know.
Business is business, and must be minded. You pretty nearly frightened
me into fits; anybody could have knocked me down with a straw when I see
the shutters up. How is she?"

"She's very well, thank you, my boy," answered Oliver, meekly.

"Mother not turned up, I guess?" said Tony.

"No; she comes on Friday," he replied.

Tony winked, and put his tongue into his cheek; but he gave utterance to
no remark until after the shutters were in their place. Then he surveyed
himself as well as he could, with an air of satisfaction. His face and
hands were clean, and his skin looked very white through the holes in his
tattered clothes; even his feet, except for an unavoidable under surface
of dust, were unsoiled. His jacket and trousers appeared somewhat more
torn than the evening before; but they bore every mark of having been
washed also.