hey meet with an old friend unexpectedly.

"Why, he seems to know you," said I, in surprise.

"Vell, he do seem to 'ave 'ad the honour of my acquaintance some'ow,"
returned the boy, whose tone of banter quickly passed away. "What d'ee
call 'im?"

"Dumps," said I.

"That won't do. Has he a vite spot on the bridge of 'is nose?" asked
the boy earnestly.

"I really cannot tell. It is not long--"

"Here, Punch, come here!" called the boy, interrupting.

At the name of Punch my doggie became so demonstrative in his affections
that he all but leaped into the boy's arms, whined lovingly, and licked
his dirty face all over.

"The wery dog," said the boy, after looking at his nose; "only growed so
big that his own mother wouldn't know 'im.--Vy, where 'ave you bin all
this long while, Punch?"

"D'you mean to say that you know the dog, and that his name is Punch?"

"Vell, you _are_ green. Wouldn't any cove with half an eye see that the
dog knows me, an' so, in course, I must know _him_? An' ven I called
'im Punch didn't he answer?--hey?"

I was obliged to admit the truth of these remarks. After the first
ebullition of joy at the meeting was over, we went along the street
together.

"Then the dog is yours?" said I as we went along.

"No, he ain't mine. He was mine once--ven he was a pup, but I sold 'im
to a young lady for--a _wery_ small sum."

"For how much?" I asked.

"For five bob. Yes--on'y five bob! I axed vun pound, but the young
lady was so pleasant an' pritty that I come down to ten bob. Then she
said she was poor--and to tell 'ee the plain truth she looked like it--
an' she wanted the pup so bad that I come down to five."

"And who was this young lady?"

"Blow'd if I knows. She went off wi' my Punch, an' I never saw'd 'em
more."

"Then you don't know what induced her to sell Punch to a low fellow--but
of course you know nothing about that," said I, in a musing tone, as I
thought of the strange manner in which this portion of my doggie's
history had come to light, but I was recalled from my reverie by the
contemptuous tones of my little companion's voice, as he said--

"But I _do_ know something about that."

"Oh, indeed! I thought you said you never saw the young lady again."

"No more I did. Neither did I ever see Punch again till to-day, but I
know for certain that my young lady never sold no dog wotsomedever to no
_low_ feller as ever walked in shoe leather or out of it!"

"Ah,