forehand to like them, his affections were at once
fixed for ever by the first glimpse of their kindly faces.

With a matter-of-fact gravity, that greatly amused the sisters--though
they carefully concealed their feelings--little Billy stated his
business, and, in so doing, threw his auditors into a flutter of hope
and gratitude, surprise and perplexity.

"But what is the name of the house that sends you?" asked Miss Jessie.

"That I am not allowed for to tell," said the boy-of-business, firmly.

"A mercantile house in the city, I suppose," said Kate.

"What sort o' house it may be is more than a sea-farin' man like me
knows, an' of course it's in the city. You wouldn't expect a
business-house to be in the country, would you? all I know is that they
want mitts made--hundreds of 'em--no end o' mitts--an' they hain't got
hands enough to make 'em, so they sent me to ask if you'll undertake to
help in the work, or if they're to git some one else to do it. Now,
will you, or will you not? that's the pint."

"Of course we shall be only too happy," answered Jessie, "though the
application is strange. How did you come to know that we were in want
of--that is, who sent you to us?"

"The house sent me, as I said afore, Miss."

"Yes, but how did the house come to know of our existence, and how is it
that a house of any sort should send a sailor-boy as its messenger?"

"How the house came to know of you is more than I can say. They don't
tell me all the outs-an'-ins of their affairs, you know. As to a house
sendin' a sailor-boy as its messenger--did you ever hear of the great
house of Messrs. Hewett and Company, what supplies Billin'sgate with
fish?"

"I'm not sure--well, yes, I think I have heard of that house," said
Kate, "though we are not in the way of hearing much about the commercial
houses of London."

"Well," continued Billy, "that house sends hundreds of fisher-boys as
messengers. It sends 'em to the deep-sea with a message to the fish, an
the message is--`come out o' the water you skulkin' critters, an' be
sent up to Billin'sgate to be sold an' eaten!' The fish don't come
willin'ly, I'm bound for to say that, but we make 'em come all the same,
willin' or not, for we've wonderful powers o' persuasion. So you see,
houses _do_ send fisher-boys as messengers sometimes; now, what am I to
say to the partikler house as sends _me_? will you go in for mitts? you
may take comforters if you prefer it, or helmets."