grace.

'And you could leave me!' said the old woman, flinging her arms about
his neck. 'You could go away, and grow almost out of knowledge, and
never come to tell your poor old friend how fortunate you were, proud
lad! Oho, Oho!'

'Oh here's a dreadful go for a cove that's got a master wide awake in
the neighbourhood!' exclaimed the wretched Grinder. 'To be howled over
like this here!'

'Won't you come and see me, Robby?' cried Mrs Brown. 'Oho, won't you
ever come and see me?'

'Yes, I tell you! Yes, I will!' returned the Grinder.

'That's my own Rob! That's my lovey!' said Mrs Brown, drying the tears
upon her shrivelled face, and giving him a tender squeeze. 'At the old
place, Rob?'

'Yes,' replied the Grinder.

'Soon, Robby dear?' cried Mrs Brown; 'and often?'

'Yes. Yes. Yes,' replied Rob. 'I will indeed, upon my soul and body.'

'And then,' said Mrs Brown, with her arms uplifted towards the sky, and
her head thrown back and shaking, 'if he's true to his word, I'll never
come a-near him though I know where he is, and never breathe a syllable
about him! Never!'

This ejaculation seemed a drop of comfort to the miserable Grinder, who
shook Mrs Brown by the hand upon it, and implored her with tears in his
eyes, to leave a cove and not destroy his prospects. Mrs Brown,
with another fond embrace, assented; but in the act of following her
daughter, turned back, with her finger stealthily raised, and asked in a
hoarse whisper for some money.

'A shilling, dear!' she said, with her eager avaricious face, 'or
sixpence! For old acquaintance sake. I'm so poor. And my handsome
gal'--looking over her shoulder--'she's my gal, Rob--half starves me.

But as the reluctant Grinder put it in her hand, her daughter, coming
quietly back, caught the hand in hen, and twisted out the coin.

'What,' she said, 'mother! always money! money from the first, and to
the last' Do you mind so little what I said but now? Here. Take it!'

The old woman uttered a moan as the money was restored, but without in
any other way opposing its restoration, hobbled at her daughter's side
out of the yard, and along the bye street upon which it opened. The
astonished and dismayed Rob staring after them, saw that they stopped,
and fell to earnest conversation very soon; and more than once observed
a darkly threatening action of the younger woman's hand (obviously
having reference to someone of whom they spoke), and a crooning feeble
imitation