any favour, what I should call her if she had
been the mother of Dick Jones of Wapping.
So, with this man. He is a runaway rogue
and a vagabond, that's what he is, in English."

"It's all the same to me what he is or
what he is not, whether in English or
whether in French," retorted Mr. E. W.
B. Childers, facing about. "I am telling
your friend what's the fact; if you don't
like to hear it, you can avail yourself of
the open air. You give it mouth enough,
you do; but give it mouth in your own
building at least," remonstrated E. W. B.
with stern irony. " Don't give it mouth
in this building, till you're called upon.
You have got some building of your own,
I dare say, now?"

"Perhaps so," replied Mr. Bounderby,
rattling his money and laughing.

"Then give it mouth in your own building,
will you, if you please? " said Childers.
"Because this isn't a strong building, and
too much of you might bring it down!"

Eyeing Mr. Bounderby from head to foot
again, he turned from him, as from a man
finally disposed of, to Mr. Gradgrind.

"Jupe sent his daughter out on an errand
not an hour ago, and then was seen to slip
out himself, with his hat over his eyes and a
bundle tied up in a handkerchief under his
arm. She will never believe it of him; but he
has cut away and left her."

"Pray," said Mr. Gradgrind, "why will
she never believe it of him?"

"Because those two were one. Because
they were never asunder. Because, up to
this time, he seemed to dote upon her," said
Childers, taking a step or two to look into
the empty trunk. Both Mr. Childers and
Master Kidderminster walked in a curious
manner; with their legs wider apart than
the general run of men, and with a very
knowing assumption of being stiff in the knees.
This walk was common to all the male
members of Sleary's company, and was
understood to express, that they were always
on horseback.

"Poor Sissy! He had better have apprenticed
her, " said Childers, giving his hair another
shake, as he looked up from the empty box.
"Now, he leaves her without anything to
take to."

"It is creditable to you who have never
been apprenticed, to express that opinion,"
returned Mr. Gradgrind, approvingly.

"I never apprenticed? I was apprenticed
when I was seven year old."

"Oh! Indeed? " said Mr. Gradgrind,
rather resentfully, as having been defrauded
of his good opinion. " I was not aware of
its being the custom to apprentice young
persons to——"

"Idleness," Mr. Bounderby put in with a
loud laugh. "No, by the Lord Harry!
Nor I!"

"Her father always had it in his head,"
resumed Childers, feigning unconsciousness
of Mr. Bounderby's existence, "that she was
to be taught the deuce-and-all of education.
How it got into his head, I can't say; I can
only say that it never got out. He has been
picking up a bit of reading for her, here—
and a bit of writing tor her, there—and a bit
of cyphering for her, somewhere else—these
seven years."

Mr. E. W. B. Childers took one of his hands
out of his pockets, stroked his face and chin,
and looked, with a good deal of doubt and a
little hope, at Mr. Gradgrind. From the
first he had sought to conciliate that gentleman,
for the sake of the deserted girl.

"When Sissy got into the school here," he
pursued, " her father was as pleased as Punch.
I couldn't altogether make out why, myself,
as we were not stationary here, being but
comers and goers anywhere. I suppose,
however, he had this move in his mind—he
was always half cracked—and then considered
her provided for. If you should happen to
have looked in to-night, for the purpose of
telling him that you were going to do her any
little service," said Mr. Childers, stroking
his face again, and repeating his look, "it
would be very fortunate and well timed;
very fortunate and well timed."

"On the contrary," returned Mr.
Gradgrind. " I came to tell him that her
connexions made her not an object for the school,
and that she must not attend any more.
Still, if her father really has left her, without
any connivance on her part—Bounderby, let
me have a word with you."

Upon this, Mr. Childers politely betook
himself, with his equestrian walk, to the
landing outside the door, and there stood
stroking his face and softly whistling. While
thus engaged, he overheard such phrases in
Mr. Bounderby's voice, as " No. I say no.
I advise you not. I say by no means."
While, from Mr. Gradgrind, he heard in his
much lower tone the words, " But even as an
example to Louisa, of what this pursuit which
has been the subject of a vulgar curiosity, leads
to and ends in. Think of it, Bounderby, in
that point of view."

Meanwhile, the various members of Sleary's
company gradually gathered together from
the upper regions, where they were quartered,
and, from standing about, talking in low
voices to one another and to Mr. Childers,
gradually insinuated themselves and him into
the room. There were two or three handsome
young women among them, with their two or
three husbands, and their two or three
mothers, and their eight or nine little children,
who did the fairy business when required.
The father of one of the families was
in the habit of balancing the father of another
of the families on the top of a great pole; the
father of a third family often made a pyramid
of both those fathers, with Master Kidderminster
for the apex, and himself for the base;
all the fathers could dance upon rolling
casks, stand upon bottles, catch knives and