One ear cocked forward, the other turned back towards the door, and a
white gleam under the hair, indicating that the eyes turned in the same
direction, said as plainly as there was any occasion for--

"No; not quite forgotten us. I hear her coming now."

"Ha! so she is. Now you shall have a feed." Both ears elevated to the
full extent obviously meant "Hurrah!" while a certain motion of his body
appeared to imply that, in consequence of his sedentary position, he was
vainly attempting to wag the sofa.

"If you please, sir," said my landlady, laying the breakfast tray on the
table, "there's a shoe-black in the kitchen says he wants to see you."

"Ah! young Slidder, I fancy. Well, send him up."

"He says he's 'ad his breakfast an' will wait till you have done, sir."

"Very considerate. Send him up nevertheless."

In a few minutes my _protege_ stood before me, hat in hand, looking, in
the trim costume of the brigade, quite a different being from the ragged
creature I had met with in Whitechapel. Dumps instantly assaulted him
with loving demonstrations.

"How spruce you look, my boy!"

"Thanks to _you_, sir," replied Slidder, with a familiar nod; "they do
say I'm lookin' up."

"I hope you like the work. Have you had breakfast? Would a roll do you
any good?"

"Thankee, I'm primed for the day. I came over, sir, to say that granny
seems to me to be out o' sorts. Since I've been allowed to sleep on the
rug inside her door, I've noticed that she ain't so lively as she used
to was. Shivers a deal w'en it ain't cold, groans now an' then, an
whimpers a good deal. It strikes me, now--though I ain't a reg'lar
sawbones--that there's suthin' wrong with her in'ards."

"I'll finish breakfast quickly and go over with you to see her," said I.

"Don't need to 'urry, sir," returned Slidder; "she ain't wery bad--not
much wuss than or'nary--on'y I've bin too anxious about her--poor old
thing. I'll vait below till you're ready.--Come along, Punch, an' jine
yer old pal in the kitchen till the noo 'un's ready."

After breakfast we three hurried out and wended our way eastward. As
the morning was unusually fine I diverged towards one of the more
fashionable localities to deliver a note with which I had been charged.
Young Slidder's spirits were high, and for a considerable time he
entertained me with a good deal of the East-end gossip. Among other
things, he told me of the great work that was being done there by Dr