Page:A Child of the Jago - Arthur Morrison.djvu/349

 from the lor, O 'appy condition,' as the 'ymn says. I 'ope 'e'll be well an' 'earty. An' if—if there should be anythink in the way of a friendly lead or a subscription or wot not, I 'ope—remember this, Mr. Perrott, won'tcher?—I 'ope you'll let me 'ave a chance to put down somethink good. Not as I can reely afford it, ye know, Mr. Perrott—trade's very pore, an' it's sich a neighb'r'ood!—but I'll do it for yer father—yus, if it's me last copper. Ye won't forgit that, will ye? An' if 'e'd like any little relish w'en 'e comes 'ome—sich as a 'addick or a bit o' 'am—w'y, I'll wrop it up an' send it."

This was all very handsome, and Dicky wished some notion of the sort had occurred to Mr. Weech on a few of the dinnerless days of the past four years. But he went away wondering if it might not be well to regard Mr. Weech with caution for a while. For there must be a reason for all this generosity.