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418 before his new master with a glowing face that seemed to expect commendation.

"What, scapegrace!" said Mr. Carker, glancing at his bundle "Have you left your situation and come to me?"

"Oh if you please, Sir," faltered Rob, "you said, you know, when I come here last—"

"I said," returned Mr. Carker, "what did I say?"

"If you please, Sir, you didn’t say nothing at all, Sir," returned Rob, warned by the manner of this inquiry, and very much disconcerted.

His patron looked at him with a wide display of gums, and shaking his forefinger, observed:

"You ’ll come to an evil end, my vagabond friend, I foresee. There’s ruin in store for you."

"Oh if you please, don’t, Sir!" cried Rob, with his legs trembling under him. "I’m sure, Sir, I only want to work for you, Sir, and to wait upon you, Sir, and to do faithful whatever I’m bid, Sir."

"You had better do faithfully whatever you are bid," returned his patron, "if you have anything to do with me."

"Yes, I know that, Sir," pleaded the submissive Rob; "I’m sure of that, Sir. If you ’ll only be so good as try me, Sir! And if ever you find me out, Sir, doing anything against your wishes, I give you leave to kill me."

"You dog!" said Mr. Carker, leaning back in his chair, and smiling at him serenely. "That’s nothing to what I’d do to you, if you tried to deceive me."

"Yes, Sir," replied the abject Grinder, "I’m sure you would be down upon me dreadful, Sir. I wouldn’t attempt for to go and do it, Sir, not if I was bribed with golden guineas."

Thoroughly checked in his expectations of commendation, the crestfallen Grinder stood looking at his patron, and vainly endeavouring not to look at him, with the uneasiness which a cur will often manifest in a similar situation.

"So you have left your old service, and come here to ask me to take you into mine, eh?" said Mr. Carker.

"Yes, if you please, Sir," returned Rob, who, in doing so, had acted on his patron’s own instructions, but dared not justify himself by the least insinuation to that effect.

"Well!" said Mr. Carker. "You know me, boy?"

"Please, Sir, yes, Sir," returned Rob, tumbling with his hat, and still fixed by Mr. Carker’s eye, and fruitlessly endeavouring to unfix himself.

Mr. Carker nodded. "Take care, then!"

Rob expressed in a number of short bows his lively understanding of this caution, and was bowing himself back to the door, greatly relieved by the prospect of getting on the outside of it, when his patron stopped him.

"Halloa!" he cried, calling him roughly back. "You have been—shut that door."

Rob obeyed as if his life had depended on his alacrity.

"You have been used to eaves-dropping. Do you know what that means?"

"Listening, Sir?" Rob hazarded, after some embarrassed reflection.