e hurt me, Ike?" I said.

"I dunno, my lad. P'r'aps they would, p'r'aps they wouldn't. They
might have kept you and made a bad un of yer. Frightened you into it
like."

I shook my head.

"Ah! you don't know, my lad. How much did they get?"

"Two shillings and ninepence halfpenny," I said dolefully.

"And a nearly new rope. Ah, it's a bad morning's work for your first
journey."

"It is, Ike," I said; "but I didn't know any better. How did you know
where I was?"

"How did I know? Why, Shock saw you and followed you, and come back and
fetched me, when I was staring at the cart and wondering what had gone
of you two."

"Where is he now?" I asked.

"What, Shock? Oh, I don't know. He's a queer chap. P'r'aps they've
got him instead of you."

I stopped short and looked at him, but saw directly that he was only
joking, and went on again:

"You don't think that," I said quickly; "for if you did you would not
have come away. Do you think he has gone back to the cart?"

"Oh, there's no knowing," he replied. "P'r'aps when we get back there
won't be any cart; some one will have run away with it. They're rum uns
here in London."

"Why, you haven't left the cart alone, Ike," I cried.

"That's a good one, that is," he exclaimed. "You haven't left the cart
alone! Why, you and Shock did."

"Yes," I said; "but--"

"There, come and let's see," he said gruffly. "We should look well, we
two, going back home without a cart, and old Bonyparty took away and cut
up for goodness knows what and his skin made into leather. Come along."

We walked quickly, for it seemed as if this was going to be a day all
misfortunes; but as we reached the market again I found that Ike had not
left the cart untended, for a man was there by the horse, and the big
whip curved over in safety from where it was stuck.

"Seen anything of our other boy?" said Ike as we reached the cart.

"No," was the reply.

"Hadn't we better go back and look for him?" I said anxiously.

"Well, I don't know," said Ike, rubbing one ear; "he ain't so much
consequence as you."

"I've been to Paris and I've been to Do-ho-ver."

"Why, there he is," I cried; and, climbing up the wheel, there lay Shock
on his back right on the top of the baskets, and as soon as he saw my
face he grinned and then turned his back.

"He's all right," I said as I descended; and just then there was a
creaking noise among the baskets, and Shock's head appeared over t