Do I love thee, Nell?' said he. 'Say - do I love thee, Nell, or no?'

The child only answered by her caresses, and laid her head upon his

breast.

Why dost thou sob?' said the grandfather, pressing her closer to him

and glancing towards me. 'Is it because thou know'st I love thee, and

dost not like that I should seem to doubt it by my question? Well, well

then let us say I love thee dearly.'

Indeed, indeed you do,' replied the child with great earnestness, 'Kit

knows you do.'

Kit, who in despatching his bread and meat had been swallowing two-

thirds of his knife at every mouthful with the coolness of a juggler,

stopped short in his operations on being thus appealed to, and bawled

'Nobody isn't such a fool as to say he doosn't,' after which he

incapacitated himself for further conversation by taking a most

prodigious sandwich at one bite.

She is poor now' - said the old men, patting the child's cheek, 'but I

say again that the time is coming when she shall be rich. It has been a

long time coming, but it must come at last; a very long time, but it

surely must come. It has come to other men who do nothing but waste

and riot. When WILL it come to me!'

'I am very happy as I am, grandfather,' said the child.

Tush, tush!' returned the old man, 'thou dost not know - how

should'st thou!' then he muttered again between his teeth, 'The time

must come, I am very sure it must. It will be all the better for coming

late'; and then he sighed and fell into his former musing state, and

still holding the child between his knees appeared to be insensible to

everything around him. By this time it wanted but a few minutes of

midnight and I rose to go, which recalled him to himself.

'One moment, sir,' he said, 'Now, Kit - near midnight, boy, and you

still here! Get home, get home, and be true to your time in the

morning, for there's work to do. Good night! There, bid him good

night, Nell, and let him be gone!'

Good night, Kit,' said the child, her eyes lighting up with merriment

and kindness.'

Good night, Miss Nell,' returned the boy.

And thank this gentleman,' interposed the old man, 'but for whose

care I might have lost my little girl to-night.'

The Old Curiosity Shop