ave him for
his own?

He was a prudent boy, and he considered that he would have to pay a tax
for him and feed him out of his wages. "But he could have 'arf my
dinner," he reflected; "and how useful he'd be to look after the
parcels. And he do look so thin and poor. I'll ask Joshua."

He looked round. Fortunately for him, Joshua and the landlord had
entered into a discussion as to the respective merits of warm mashes,
and were still engaged upon it, so Tim had not been missed. He went up
to the two men, and standing a little in front of them waited for a
convenient moment to make his request. He was glad to see that Joshua
looked good-tempered just now; he had evidently had the best of the
argument which had been going on, for there was a gleam of triumph in
his eye, and he repeating some assertion in a loud voice, while the
landlord stood in a dejected attitude with his thumbs in his waistcoat
pockets.

"_That's_ where it is," said Joshua as he concluded, and then his eye
fell on Tim's eager upturned face.

"Dorg, eh?" he said, when the boy had made him understand what he
wanted. "Where is he?"

"There," said Tim, pointing to where the dog still sat shivering near
the old chestnut woman.

Joshua gazed at the animal in silence, and sucked a straw which he had
in his mouth reflectively. Tim looked anxiously up into his face.
Would he take a fancy to him? The landlord had now drawn near, and also
an inquisitive ostler. The old chestnut-seller ceased to rock herself
to and fro, and turned her head towards the group, so that the dog, so
lonely a few minutes ago, had suddenly become a centre of interest. He
seemed to wonder at this, but he scarcely moved his eyes, with a mute
appeal in them, from his first friend, Tim. At last, after what seemed
an immense silence, Joshua spoke.

"He ain't a beauty--not to look at," he said.

This might have sounded discouraging to anyone who did not know Joshua,
but it was rather the reverse to Tim.

"He'd be werry useful in the cart," he suggested, taking care not to
appear too anxious.

But now the landlord, feeling it time to offer his opinion, broke into
the discussion.

"There's no doubt, as the boy says, that you'd find a dog useful, but I
wouldn't have a brute of a cur like that, if I was you. Now I could
give you as pretty a pup to bring up to the business as you could wish
to see. A real game un. Death to anything reasonable he'd be in a
year's time.