“Shall you give him any supper to-night?”
“Nay,” she said with a sort of chuckle; “he’s come too late to-night. I’ve had my supper. There’s many a one besides him as has to go supperless.”
The dog during this conversation was evidently conscious that he was being noticed, for he trembled more than ever, and gazed up at Tim with his pleading eyes.
“Pore feller, then,” said the boy.
The kind voice woke some bygone memory in the animal; it reminded him perhaps of the days when he belonged to somebody, and was treated gently. He got up, slowly reared his poor stiff limbs into a begging attitude, and wagged his short tail. He soon dropped down again, for he was evidently weak, but he looked apologetically from the old woman to Tim, as much as to say:
“I know it was a poor performance, but it was the best I could do. In old days it used to please.”
“See there now,” said the woman, “someone must a taught him that. Maybe he’s bin a Punch’s dog.”
Tim stood absorbed in thought. He had forgotten Joshua, and the cart, and his own important position as van-boy; one idea filled his mind. Could he, ought he, might he take the dog home with him and have him for his own?
He was a prudent boy, and he considered that he would have to pay a tax for him and feed him out of his wages. “But he could have ’arf my dinner,” he reflected; “and how useful he’d be to look after the parcels. And he do look so thin and poor. I’ll ask Joshua.”
He looked round. Fortunately for him, Joshua and the landlord had entered into a discussion as to the respective merits of warm mashes, and were still engaged upon it, so Tim had not been missed. He went up to the two men, and standing a little in front of them waited for a convenient moment to make his request. He was glad to see that Joshua looked good-tempered just now; he had evidently had the best of the argument which had been going on, for there was a gleam of triumph in his eye, and he repeating some assertion in a loud voice, while the landlord stood in a dejected attitude with his thumbs in his waistcoat pockets.