twenty hours,
as that which contained his wardrobe and necessaries; and certainly
there never was one which to two small eyes presented such a mine of
clothing, as this mighty chest with its three shirts and proportionate
allowance of stockings and pocket-handkerchiefs, disclosed to the
astonished vision of little Jacob. At last it was conveyed to the
carrier's, at whose house at Finchley Kit was to find it next day; and
the box being gone, there remained but two questions for consideration:
firstly, whether the carrier would lose, or dishonestly feign to lose,
the box upon the road; secondly, whether Kit's mother perfectly
understood how to take care of herself in the absence of her son.

'I don't think there's hardly a chance of his really losing it, but
carriers are under great temptation to pretend they lose things, no
doubt,' said Mrs Nubbles apprehensively, in reference to the first
point.

'No doubt about it,' returned Kit, with a serious look; 'upon my word,
mother, I don't think it was right to trust it to itself. Somebody
ought to have gone with it, I'm afraid.'

'We can't help it now,' said his mother; 'but it was foolish and wrong.
People oughtn't to be tempted.'

Kit inwardly resolved that he would never tempt a carrier any more,
save with an empty box; and having formed this Christian determination,
he turned his thoughts to the second question.

'YOU know you must keep up your spirits, mother, and not be lonesome
because I'm not at home. I shall very often be able to look in when I
come into town I dare say, and I shall send you a letter sometimes, and
when the quarter comes round, I can get a holiday of course; and then
see if we don't take little Jacob to the play, and let him know what
oysters means.'

'I hope plays mayn't be sinful, Kit, but I'm a'most afraid,' said Mrs
Nubbles.

'I know who has been putting that in your head,' rejoined her son
disconsolately; 'that's Little Bethel again. Now I say, mother, pray
don't take to going there regularly, for if I was to see your
good-humoured face that has always made home cheerful, turned into a
grievous one, and the baby trained to look grievous too, and to call
itself a young sinner (bless its heart) and a child of the devil (which
is calling its dead father names); if I was to see this, and see little
Jacob looking grievous likewise, I should so take it to heart that I'm
sure I should go and list for a soldier, and run my head on purpose
a