ill
next journey.

"That's it," said Ike. "Market-gardeners has to give a lot o' trust
that way."

"But do they get the baskets all back again, Ike?" I said.

"To be sure they do, my lad--Oh yes, pretty well."

"But shall we get paid the money for all that's been sold this morning?"

"Why, of course, my lad. That gentleman as sold for us, he's our
salesman; and he pays for it all, and they pay him. Don't you see?"

I said "Yes," but my mind was not very clear about it.

"We're all right there. Work away, Shock, and let's finish loading up,
and then we'll have our breakfast. Nice sort o' looking party you are,
to take anywhere to feed," he grumbled, as he glanced at Shock, whose
appearance was certainly not much in his favour.

It was much easier work loading with empty baskets, and besides there
was not a full load, so that it was not very long before Ike had them
all piled up to his satisfaction and the ropes undone and thrown over
and over and laced in and out and hooked and tied and strained to the
sides of the cart.

"That's the way we does it, squire," cried Ike; "haul away, Shock, my
lad. You've worked well. Old Bonyparty's had the best of it; this is
his rest and feeding time. You might leave him there hours; but as soon
as it's time to go home, away he starts, and there's no stopping him.

"That's about it," he said, as he fastened off a rope. "That'll do. We
sha'n't want no more for this lot. Now don't you two leave the cart.
I'm going up to Mr Blackton, our salesman, you know, just to see if
he's anything to say, and then we'll go and have our braxfass. Don't
you chaps leave the cart."

"I sha'n't go," I said, and I glanced at Shock, who climbed up to the
top of the baskets, and lay down flat on his face, so as to be away from
me as it seemed, but I could see him watching me out of one eye from
time to time.

"I wonder whether he will ever be different," I thought to myself, as I
watched the selling of a huge load of beautifully white bunches of
turnips, as regular and clean as could be, when all at once I felt a
blow in my back, and looking sharply round, there were several of the
ragged boys who haunted the market grinning at me.

There was no handy place for me to post myself again so as to stop the
throwing, and I had to content myself with looking at them angrily; but
that did no good, for they separated, getting behind baskets and stacks
of baskets, like so many sharpshooters