pair ambled off in the direction of the Bowery.

"So Tim sent them fellers after me?" soliloqized Dodger. "I guess I'll
have to change my office, or maybe Tim himself will be droppin' down
on me some mornin'. It'll be harder to get rid of him than of them
chumps."

So it happened that he used to take down his morning papers to the
piers on the North River, and take his chance of selling them to
passengers from Boston and others ports arriving by the Fall River
boats, and others from different points.

The advantage of this was that he often got a chance to serve as guide
to strangers visiting the city for the first time, or as porter, to
carry their valise or other luggage.

Being a bright, wideawake boy, with a pleasant face and manner, he
found his services considerably in demand; and on counting up his
money at the end of the week, he found, much to his encouragement,
that he had received on an average about a dollar and twenty-five
cents per day.

"That's better than sellin' papers alone," thought he. "Besides, Tim
isn't likely to come across me here. I wonder I didn't think of
settin' up for myself before!"

In the evening he spent an hour, and sometimes more, pursuing his
studies, under the direction of Florence. At first his attention was
given chiefly to improving his reading and spelling, for Dodger was
far from fluent in the first, while his style of spelling many words
was strikingly original.

"Ain't I stupid, Florence?" he asked one day, after spelling a word of
three syllables with such ingenious incorrectness as to convulse his
young teacher with merriment.

"Not at all, Dodger. You are making excellent progress; but sometimes
you are so droll that I can't help laughing."

"I don't mind that if you think I am really gettin' on."

"Undoubtedly you are!"

"I make a great many mistakes," said Dodger, dubiously.

"Yes, you do; but you must remember that you have taken lessons only a
short time. Don't you think you can read a good deal more easily than
you did?"

"Yes; I don't trip up half so often as I did. I'm afraid you'll get
tired of teachin' me."

"No fear of that, Dodger. As long as I see that you are improving, I
shall feel encouraged to go on."

"I wish I knew as much as your other scholar."

"You will in time if you go on. You mustn't get discouraged."

"I won't!" said Dodger, stoutly. "If a little gal like her can learn,
I'd ought to be ashamed if I don't--a big boy of eighte