Chapter XXI

Kit turned away and very soon forgot the pony, and the chaise, and

the little old lady, and the little old gentleman, and the little young

gentleman to boot, in thinking what could have become of his late

master and his lovely grandchild, who were the fountain-head of all

his meditations. Still casting about for some plausible means of

accounting for their non-appearance, and of persuading himself that

they must soon return, he bent his steps towards home, intending to

finish the task which the sudden recollection of his contract had

interrupted, and then to sally forth once more to seek his fortune for

the day.

When he came to the corner of the court in which he lived, lo and

behold there was the pony again! Yes, there he was, looking more

obstinate than ever; and alone in the chaise, keeping a steady watch

upon his every wink, sat Mr Abel, who, lifting up his eyes by chance

and seeing Kit pass by, nodded to him as though he would have

nodded his head off.

Kit wondered to see the pony again, so near his own home too, but it

never occurred to him for what purpose the pony might have come

there, or where the old lady and the old gentleman had gone, until he

lifted the latch of the door, and walking in, found them seated in the

room in conversation with his mother, at which unexpected sight he

pulled off his hat and made his best bow in some confusion.

We are here before you, you see, Christopher,' said Mr Garland

smiling.

Yes, sir,' said Kit; and as he said it, he looked towards his mother for

an explanation of the visit.

'The gentleman's been kind enough, my dear,' said she, in reply to this

mute interrogation, 'to ask me whether you were in a good place, or in

any place at all, and when I told him no, you were not in any, he was

so good as to say that - '

- That we wanted a good lad in our house,' said the old gentleman

and the old lady both together, 'and that perhaps we might think of it,

if we found everything as we would wish it to be.'

As this thinking of it, plainly meant the thinking of engaging Kit, he

immediately partook of his mother's anxiety and fell into a great

flutter; for the little old couple were very methodical and cautious, and

asked so many questions that he began to be afraid there was no

chance of his success.

The Old Curiosity Shop