rning, before the tardy daylight could creep into the
darkened room, old Oliver was up and busy. He had been in the habit of
doing for himself, as he called it, ever since his daughter had forsaken
him, and he was by nature fastidiously clean and neat. But now there
would be additional duties for him during the next three days; for there
would be Dolly to wash, and dress, and provide breakfast for. Every few
minutes he stole a look at her lying still asleep; and as soon as he
discovered symptoms of awaking, he hastily lifted Beppo on to the bed,
that her opening eyes should be greeted by some familiar sight. She
stretched out her wonderful little hands, and caught hold of the dog's
rough head before venturing to lift her eyelids, while Oliver looked on
in speechless delight. At length she ventured to peep slyly at him, and
then addressed herself to Beppo.

"What am I to call ris funny old man, Beppo?" she asked.

"I am your grandpa, my darling," said Oliver, in his softest voice.

"Are you God-bless-gan-pa?" inquired Dolly, sitting up on her pillow, and
staring very hard with her blue eyes into his wrinkled face.

"Yes, I am," he answered, looking at her anxiously.

"Dolly knows," she said, counting upon her little fingers; "rere's
father, and mammy, and Beppo; and now rere's gan-pa. Dolly'll get up
now."

She flung her arms suddenly about his neck and kissed him, while old
Oliver trembled with intense joy. It was quite a marvel to him how she
helped him to dress her, laughing merrily at the strange mistakes he made
in putting on her clothes the wrong side before; and when he assured her
that her mother would come back very soon, she seemed satisfied to put up
with any passing inconvenience. The shop, with its duties, and the
necessity of getting in his daily stock of newspapers, entirely slipped
his memory; and he was only recalled to it by a very loud rapping at the
door as he was pouring out Dolly's breakfast. To his great surprise he
discovered that he had forgotten to take down his shutters, though it was
past the hour when his best customers passed by.

The person knocking proved to be none other than Tony, who greeted the
old man's appearance with a prolonged whistle, and a grave and
reproachful stare.

"Come," he said, in a tone of remonstrance, "this'll never do, you know.
Business is business, and must be minded. You pretty nearly frightened
me into fits; anybody could have knocked me down with a straw