of spectacles from one of his large pockets,
and a book from another, and leisurely began to read. Making no more of
Boxer than if he had been a house lamb!

The Carrier and his wife exchanged a look of perplexity. The Stranger
raised his head; and, glancing from the latter to the former, said:

"Your daughter, my good friend?"

"Wife," returned John.

"Niece?" said the Stranger.

"Wife!" roared John.

"Indeed?" observed the Stranger. "Surely? Very young!"

He quietly turned over, and resumed his reading. But, before he could
have read two lines, he again interrupted himself to say:

"Baby yours?"

John gave him a gigantic nod: equivalent to an answer in the
affirmative, delivered through a speaking trumpet.

"Girl?"

"Bo-o-oy!" roared John.

"Also very young, eh?"

Mrs. Peerybingle instantly struck in. "Two months and three da-ays.
Vaccinated just six weeks ago-o! Took very fine-ly! Considered, by the
doctor, a remarkably beautiful chi-ild! Equal to the general run of
children at five months o-ld! Takes notice in a way quite wonder-ful!
May seem impossible to you, but feels his legs al-ready!"

[Illustration: _"That's the way I found him, sitting by the roadside!
Upright as a milestone."_]

Here, the breathless little mother, who had been shrieking these short
sentences into the old man's ear, until her pretty face was crimsoned,
held up the Baby before him as a stubborn and triumphant fact; while
Tilly Slowboy, with a melodious cry of "Ketcher, Ketcher"--which sounded
like some unknown words, adapted to a popular Sneeze--performed some
cow-like gambols around that all unconscious Innocent.

"Hark! He's called for, sure enough," said John. "There's somebody at
the door. Open it, Tilly."

Before she could reach it, however, it was opened from without; being a
primitive sort of door, with a latch that any one could lift if he
chose--and a good many people did choose, for all kinds of neighbours
liked to have a cheerful word or two with the Carrier, though he was no
great talker himself. Being opened, it gave admission to a little,
meagre, thoughtful, dingy-faced man, who seemed to have made himself a
great-coat from the sackcloth covering of some old box; for, when he
turned to shut the door and keep the weather out, he disclosed upon the
back of that garment the inscription G & T in large black capitals. Also
the word GLASS in bold characters.

"Good evening, John!" said the little man. "Good eve