I did all I could to defend myself, till, closing with me, he held me tight with one arm, and struck me so cruelly in the face, that it roused me to greater efforts, and, after a short wrestle, I was free.

It was but a moment's respite before he dashed at me again, and, in my rage and desperation, I struck out at him so fiercely that my fist caught him full between the eyes, making him stagger and catch at the first object he could to save himself, and the result was that he pulled over a full case of small type. There was a crash, I uttered a cry, and some twenty pounds of type were scattered in confusion all over the floor.

Before I had recovered from my horror, the door was thrown open, and Mr Grimstone came hurrying in.

"What's this--what's this?" he cried.

"Please, sir, Grace was playing larks with one of the cases, and he let it fall."

"Then Mr Grace shall soon find out what it is to destroy the property of the firm in this wanton way," he cried.

"Indeed, sir--" I began.

"Not a word, sir--not a word!" he cried. "Smith, go about your work.

You, Grace, pick up every bit of that pie at once."

"But please, sir, I did not knock it down, and Mr Rowle is waiting for me."

"Pick it up, sir."

"But Mr Rowle--"

"Pick it up, sir."

I was so hot and excited that I was about to declare angrily that I would not, when I caught Mr Hallett's eyes gazing fixedly at me, and without a word, but feeling half-choked with anger and indignation, I fetched a galley and began to pick up the fallen type.

I had not been engaged in my uncongenial task many minutes before Mr Jabez Rowle came down to see where I was, and I noticed that there was quite a triumphant look in Mr Grimstone's eyes as he said I must stay and pick up all the type, the matter being compromised on the understanding that as soon as the metal was picked up I was to resume my reading upstairs, and, by Mr Grimstone's orders, stay in every dinner-time and get to the office an hour sooner every morning till I had set up and distributed the whole of the pie.

How I dwelt on the injustice of that task! It was one which seemed to give Mr Grimstone great satisfaction, for it took my inexperienced fingers many weeks, and I had to toil very hard. But all the same, it was no waste of time, for it gave me dexterity in handling type such as I should not otherwise have had.

I had suffered a great deal from anxiety lest some morning Mr Blakeford should step into the office and claim me; for, unpleasant as were my dealings with Mr Grimstone, Jem Smith, and through the latter with several of the other boys, I thoroughly enjoyed my present existence.

Revitts was very kind, and, in spite of his sharp abruptness, I did not dislike quaint old Mr Jabez Rowle, who seemed never to be happy unless he was correcting proofs.

My dread arose from the thought that Revitts might in some communication to Mary be the cause of her naming my whereabouts to the lawyer. Then I was afraid that Mr Ruddle might write down and make inquiries. Lastly, that Mr Jabez Rowle might mention me in writing to his brother. But I grew more rea.s.sured as it became evident that Mr Ruddle had not written, while Mr Jabez Rowle said one day, just in the middle of some corrections:

"Ah, I'm very fond of Peter, so I never write to him."

Then, too, I found that Mr Revitts never wrote to Mary without, in a half-bashful way, showing me the letter.

"Lookye here," he would say, "we said we'd help one another, lad. Some o' these days you'll want to write such a letter as this here, and so you may as well see how it's done. Then you can just shove your pen through where the spellin' ain't quite square, and I'll write it out again. I don't know as it's quite right to let her get thinking as I'm such a tip-topper at spellin', but she came the same game with me over the writing, making me think as she'd improved wonderful, when it was you; so it's six o' one and half-a-dozen o' t'other. What do you say?"

"I don't think Mary meant to deceive you, Bill," I said. "Poor girl, she had to work very hard, and her hands were not used to holding a pen.

I don't suppose she ever thought of saying who wrote for her. There's nothing to be ashamed of in trying to improve your spelling."

"No, there ain't, is there, lad?"

"Nothing at all. Mr Hallett says we go on learning all our lives."

"Hah! I suppose we do. What would you do then?"

"I should tell Mary I helped you."

"So I will--so I will," he said, in his quiet simple way; for as sure as the subject _Mary_ was in question, all William Revitts' sharp police-constable ways dropped off, and he was as simple and smiling as a child.

"Give my love to her, Bill," I said.

He looked heavily and steadily at me for a few moments, and then in a very stupid way he began:

"I say, youngster, do you think Mary is fond of you?"

"I'm sure she is--very," I said.

He fidgeted in his chair, and then continued:

"And you like her?"

"Very, very, very much. She was horribly cross at first, but towards the last n.o.body could have been kinder."

"I say, how old are you?"

"Between thirteen and fourteen," I said.

"Ah, to be sure; of course, lad, so you are," he said, brightening up and shaking hands. "Yes, I'll give your love to her. I say, boy, it won't be long first," he continued, rubbing his hands.

"Won't it?" I said, easily divining what he meant.

"No, not long now, for we've been engaged a precious long while."

CHAPTER TWENTY.

THE WAYZEGOOSE.

Long before the fallen type was sorted I had heard rumours of the annual holiday and dinner of the _employes_ of the firm; and on a delicious autumn morning I found myself in a great covered van, one of three conveying the large party down to Epping Forest.

According to old custom, the members of the firm did a great deal to encourage the affair, supplying a large proportion of the funds required, and presiding at the dinner at an inn in the forest.

Boy-like, I was very eager to go, and looked forward to joining in a projected game at cricket; but, somehow, when we reached the inn, after a drive made noisy by a good deal of absurd mirth, the result of several calls at public-houses on the way to give the horses hay and water, the pleasure seemed to be taken a good deal out of the affair, and the presence of Mr Grimstone did not tend to make me feel upon the highest pinnacle of enjoyment.

Somehow or another the boys seemed to look upon me as a sort of b.u.t.t, and, headed by Jem Smith, they had played several practical jokes upon me already, so that at last I was standing wistfully looking on instead of playing cricket, and wishing I was alone, when a handsome waggonette was driven by, and to my surprise I saw in it Mr Ruddle, Mr Lister, his partner, and the two young ladies whom I had met on my first day in Short Street.

As I started forward and took off my cap, Miss Carr saw me, and smiled and nodded: and then as I stood gazing after the departing carriage, a change seemed to have come over the day, and I began to wonder whether I should see them again, and, if so, whether they would speak to me, when a hand was laid upon my shoulder, and turning round, there stood Mr Hallett.

"Well, my solitary little philosopher," he said, in a quiet, half-cynical way, "what are you doing? Not playing with the boys at cricket, and not drinking more beer than is good for you, according to the immemorial custom of a British workman taking a holiday?"

"No," I said, "I was looking after that carriage."

"Carriage? Oh, that! Well, what was there in it to take your attention?"