ll
sides, smelled of it, and finally set his teeth deliberately but with
caution into it; then turned, and looked inquiringly at Matty.

"Pisen!" uttered that little sceptic, still unconvinced that treachery
did not lurk behind these demonstrations of friendship.

Ay, poison indeed! but not in the sense poor Matty meant. Nor would she
accept the other turnover or the ginger-cakes, or look at or speak to
Theodore; but sat gazing afar off as if into vacancy, her face
perfectly expressionless, although Tony, now completely won over, sat
eating his with the utmost gusto.

Meanwhile Theodore, having turned over the whole contents of his
pockets, talked in a friendly way, leading gradually up to the matter
in his mind; although he was afraid to linger long, lest Johnny should
return, or some one come by who would wonder at seeing amicable
relations established between himself and Tony.

"Been makin' good sales to-day?" he asked at length; but this put Tony
on his guard again at once.

"Now you let peanuts alone; they ain't none of your business," he said,
his mouth full of ginger-cake.

"I ain't goin' to touch your peanuts," said the older boy. "I just
asked. Jim's makin' an uncommon good thing out of this peanut-stand
with you and Matty to run it for him, an' I hear you're doin'
first-rate. But--don't I know something about Jim!"

"So do I, lots," answered Tony, as well as he could speak.

"You don't know what I know; and Jim wouldn't want you to," said the
bad boy. "It's his secret, and a monstrous one, too; but I know it, and
I'm goin' to tell it, too."

"I sha'n't listen to it," said Tony.

"Ho! I don't want you to. It's not you I mean to tell," said Theodore.
"It's the police."

"Jim ain't done nothin' for the perlice," said Tony furiously. "The
perlice likes him, an' wouldn't do nothin' to him."

"Ha! You wait and see," said Theodore; "they've got to when I tell 'em.
It's a secret on Jim an' one of his young ladies, Miss Amy there, that
gives Matty her clo's an' things. He'll feel awful to have himself an'
Miss Amy told on, and the police will go for 'em when they know it; but
nothin' ain't goin' to put me off talkin' without I was paid for it, as
much as five dollars, too."

"What they done?" asked Tony, curiosity and alarm for his friends
getting the better of his aversion to discuss the subject with
Theodore.

Theodore came nearer, and making Tony promise with the most solemn
asseverations that he