Not one, Sir,' replied Kit. - 'Yes, though - there's my mother.'

Did they know her?' said the single gentleman.

Know her, Sir! why, she was always coming backwards and forwards.

They were as kind to her as they were to me. Bless you, Sir, she

expected they'd come back to her house.'

Then where the devil is the woman?' said the impatient gentleman,

catching up his hat. 'Why isn't she here? Why is that woman always

out of the way when she is most wanted?'

In a word, the single gentleman was bursting out of the office, bent

upon laying violent hands on Kit's mother, forcing her into a post-

chaise, and carrying her off, when this novel kind of abduction was

with some difficulty prevented by the joint efforts of Mr Abel and the

Notary, who restrained him by dint of their remonstrances, and

persuaded him to sound Kit upon the probability of her being able and

willing to undertake such a journey on so short a notice.

This occasioned some doubts on the part of Kit, and some violent

demonstrations on that of the single gentleman, and a great many

soothing speeches on that of the Notary and Mr Abel. The upshot of

the business was, that Kit, after weighing the matter in his mind and

considering it carefully, promised, on behalf of his mother, that she

should be ready within two hours from that time to undertake the

expedition, and engaged to produce her in that place, in all respects

equipped and prepared for the journey, before the specified period had

expired.

Having given this pledge, which was rather a bold one, and not

particularly easy of redemption, Kit lost no time in sallying forth, and

taking measures for its immediate fulfilment.

The Old Curiosity Shop