."

"Who's Peter?" asked Mrs Bones.

"Ah, who's Peter?" echoed Mr Bones, with a somewhat sly glance under
his brows.

"He's a message-boy, and such a dear fellow," replied Tottie. "I don't
know his other name, he didn't mention it, and they only call him little
Peter, but he saved me from the fire; at least he tried--"

"Saved you from the fire!" exclaimed Mrs Bones in amazement.

"Yes; didn't Miss Lillycrop tell you?" asked Tottie in no less surprise.

Now it is but justice to Miss Lillycrop to say that even in the midst of
her perturbation after the fire she sought to inform Mrs Bones of her
child's safety, and sent her a note, which failed to reach her, owing to
her being away at the time on one of her prolonged absences from home,
and the neighbour to whose care it had been committed had forgotten all
about it. As Mrs Bones read no newspapers and took no interest in
fires, she knew nothing about the one that had so nearly swallowed up
Tottie.

"Come, tell us all about it, Tot. You mentioned it to me, but we
couldn't go into details at the time," said her father, puffing a
vigorous cloud of smoke into the chimney.

Nothing loath, the child gave her parents an account of the event, which
was as glowing as the fire itself. As she dwelt with peculiar delight
on the brave rescue effected by Aspel at the extreme peril of his life,
conscience took Abel Bones by surprise and gave him a twinge.

At that moment the sleeper in the corner heaved a deep sigh and turned
round towards the light. Mrs Bones and the child recognised him at
once, and half rose.

"Keep still!" said Bones, in a low savage growl, which was but too
familiar to his poor wife and child. "Now, look here," he continued in
the same voice, laying down his pipe,--"if either of you two tell man,
woman, or child w'ere George Aspel is, it'll be the death of you both,
and of him too."

"Oh, Abel! don't be hard on us," pleaded his wife. "You would--no, you
_can't_ mean to do 'im harm!"

"No, I won't hurt him," said Bones, "but you must both give me your word
that you'll make no mention of him or his whereabouts to any one till I
give you leave."

They were obliged to promise, and Bones, knowing from experience that he
could trust them, was satisfied.

"But you'll make a promise to me too, Abel, won't you, dear?" said Mrs
Bones; "you'll promise not to do 'im harm of any kind--not to tempt
'im?"

"Yes, Molly, I promise that."

Mrs Bones kne