Why, bless thee, child,' said the old man, patting her on the head,

how couldst thou miss thy way? What if I had lost thee, Nell!'

I would have found my way back to YOU, grandfather,' said the child

boldly; 'never fear.'

The old man kissed her, then turning to me and begging me to walk

in, I did so. The door was closed and locked. Preceding me with the

light, he led me through the place I had already seen from without,

into a small sitting-room behind, in which was another door opening

into a kind of closet, where I saw a little bed that a fairy might have

slept in, it looked so very small and was so prettily arranged. The child

took a candle and tripped into this little room, leaving the old man

and me together.

You must be tired, sir,' said he as he placed a chair near the fire, 'how

can I thank you?'

By taking more care of your grandchild another time, my good friend,'

I replied.

More care!' said the old man in a shrill voice, 'more care of Nelly! Why,

who ever loved a child as I love Nell?'

He said this with such evident surprise that I was perplexed what

answer to make, and the more so because coupled with something

feeble and wandering in his manner, there were in his face marks of

deep and anxious thought which convinced me that he could not be,

as I had been at first inclined to suppose, in a state of dotage or

imbecility.

'I don't think you consider - ' I began.

'I don't consider!' cried the old man interrupting me, 'I don't consider

her! Ah, how little you know of the truth! Little Nelly, little Nelly!'

It would be impossible for any man, I care not what his form of speech

might be, to express more affection than the dealer in curiosities did,

in these four words. I waited for him to speak again, but he rested his

chin upon his hand and shaking his head twice or thrice fixed his

eyes upon the fire.

While we were sitting thus in silence, the door of the closet opened,

and the child returned, her light brown hair hanging loose about her

neck, and her face flushed with the haste she had made to rejoin us.

She busied herself immediately in preparing supper, and while she

was thus engaged I remarked that the old man took an opportunity of

observing me more closely than he had done yet. I was surprised to

The Old Curiosity Shop