And so it will be for him when he gets better,' said the boy, pointing

towards the sick room.

- If he ever does,' added the child, unable to restrain her tears.

Oh, he'll do that, he'll do that,' said Kit. 'I'm sure he will. You mustn't

be cast down, Miss Nell. Now don't be, pray!'

These words of encouragement and consolation were few and roughly

said, but they affected the child and made her, for the moment, weep

the more.

He'll be sure to get better now,' said the boy anxiously, 'if you don't

give way to low spirits and turn ill yourself, which would make him

worse and throw him back, just as he was recovering. When he does,

say a good word - say a kind word for me, Miss Nell!'

'They tell me I must not even mention your name to him for a long,

long time,' rejoined the child, 'I dare not; and even if I might, what

good would a kind word do you, Kit? We shall be very poor. We shall

scarcely have bread to eat.'

It's not that I may be taken back,' said the boy, 'that I ask the favour

of you. It isn't for the sake of food and wages that I've been waiting

about so long in hopes to see you. Don't think that I'd come in a time

of trouble to talk of such things as them.'

The child looked gratefully and kindly at him, but waited that he

might speak again.

No, it's not that,' said Kit hesitating, 'it's something very different from

that. I haven't got much sense, I know, but if he could be brought to

believe that I'd been a faithful servant to him, doing the best I could,

and never meaning harm, perhaps he mightn't - '

Here Kit faltered so long that the child entreated him to speak out,

and quickly, for it was very late, and time to shut the window.

Perhaps he mightn't think it over venturesome of me to say - well

then, to say this,' cried Kit with sudden boldness. 'This home is gone

from you and him. Mother and I have got a poor one, but that's better

than this with all these people here; and why not come there, till he's

had time to look about, and find a better!'

The child did not speak. Kit, in the relief of having made his

proposition, found his tongue loosened, and spoke out in its favour

with his utmost eloquence.

The Old Curiosity Shop