"But look at him," groaned Mr. Gradgrind.
"Will any coach—"

"I don't mean that he thould go in the
comic livery," said Sleary. "Thay the word,
and I'll make a Jothkin of him, out of the
wardrobe, in five minutes."

"I don't understand," said Mr.
Gradgrind.

"A Jothkin— a Carter. Make up your
mind quick, Thquire. There'll be beer to
feth. I've never met with nothing but beer
ath'll ever clean a comic blackamoor."

Mr. Gradgrind rapidly assented; Mr.
Sleary rapidly turned out from a box, a smock
frock, a felt hat, and other essentials; the
whelp rapidly changed clothes behind a screen
of baize; Mr. Sleary rapidly brought beer,
and washed him white again.

"Now," said Sleary, "come along to the
coath, and jump up behind; I'll go with you
there, and they'll thuppothe you one of my
people. Thay farewell to your family, and
tharp'th the word!" With which he delicately
retired.

"Here is your letter," said Mr. Gradgrind.
"All necessary means will be provided for
you. Atone, by repentance and better conduct,
for the shocking action you have committed,
and the dreadful consequences to which it
has led. Give me your hand, my poor boy,
and may God forgive you as I do!"

The culprit was moved to a few abject
tears by these words and their pathetic tone.
But, when Louisa opened her arms, he repulsed
her afresh.

"Not you, I don't want to have anything
to say to you!"

"O Tom, Tom, do we end so, after all my
love!"

"After all your love!" he returned,
obdurately.  "Pretty love! Leaving oldBounderby to himself, and packing my best friend
Mr. Harthouse off, and going home just when
I was in the greatest danger. Pretty love
that! Coming out with every word about
our having gone to that place, when you saw
the net was gathering round me. Pretty
love that! You have regularly given me up.
You never cared for me."

"Tharp'th the word!  said Sleary at the
door.

They all confusedly went out: Louisa
crying to him that she forgave him, and
loved him still, and that he would one day
be sorry to have left her so, and glad to
think of these her last words, far away: when
some one ran against them. Mr. Gradgrind
and Sissy, who were both before him while
his sister yet clung to his shoulder, stopped
and recoiled.

For, there was Bitzer, out of breath, his
thin lips parted, his thin nostrils distended,
his white eyelashes quivering, his colorless
face more colorless than ever, as if he ran
himself into a white heat, when other people
ran themselves into a glow. There he stood,
panting and heaving, as if he had never
stopped since the night, now long ago, when
he had run them down before.

"I'm sorry to interfere with your plans,"
said Bitzer, shaking his head, "but I can't
allow myself to be done by horseriders. I
must have young Mr. Tom; he mustn't be got
away by horseriders; here he is in a smock
frock, and I must have him!"

By the collar, too, it seemed. For, so he
took possession of him.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

THEY went back into the booth, Sleary
shutting the door to keep intruders out.
Bitzer, still holding the paralysed culprit by
the collar, stood in the Ring, blinking at his
old patron through the darkness of the
twilight.

"Bitzer," said Mr. Gradgrind, broken
down, and miserably submissive to him,
"have you a heart?"

"The circulation, sir," returned Bitzer,
smiling at the oddity of the question, "could'nt
be carried on without one. No man, sir,
acquainted with the facts established by
Harvey relating to the circulation of the
blood, can doubt that I have a heart."

"Is it accessible," cried Mr. Gradgrind,
"to any compassionate influence?"

"It is accessible to Reason, sir," returned
the excellent young man. "And to nothing
else."

They stood looking at each other; Mr.
Gradgrind's face as white as the pursuer's.

"What motive—even what motive in
reason—can you have for preventing the
escape of this wretched youth," said Mr.
Gradgrind, "and crushing his miserable
father? See his sister here. Pity us!"

"Sir," returned Bitzer, in a very businesslike
and logical manner, "since you ask me
what motive I have in reason, for taking
young Mr. Tom back to Coketown, it is only
reasonable to let you know. I have
suspected young Mr. Tom of this bank-robbery
from the first. I had had my eye upon him
before that time, for I knew his ways. I
have kept my observations to myself, but I
have made them; and I have got ample proofs
against him now, besides his running away,
and besides his own confession, which I was
just in time to overhear. I had the pleasure
of watching your house yesterday morning,
and following you here. I am going to take
young Mr. Torn back to Coketown, in order
to deliver him over to Mr. Bounderby. Sir,
I have no doubt whatever that Mr.
Bounderby will then promote me to young Mr.
Tom's situation. And I wish to have his
situation, sir, for it will be a rise to me and
will do me good."

"If this is solely a question of self-interest
with you—" Mr. Gradgrind began.

"I beg your pardon for interrupting you,
sir," returned Bitzer; "but I am sure you
know that the whole social system is a question
of self-interest. What you must always