“Oh, for the Lord’s sake, stop crying and tell me more! You were before a toy-shop you say?” said Drusilla, in extreme anxiety.
“Yes, ma’am, a-looking in at the windows, at the wooden soldiers, and horses, and ships; and there comes along a man with an organ and a dancing-monkey. And little Lenny turned away from the window to look at the monkey. And a crowd collected. They were mostly children. And little Lenny is fond of children—and so—oh! oh, dear! oh, my heart will break!”
“Compose yourself, and go on, Pina!” said Anna.
“Yes, ma’am. Oh! oh, dear! Yes—well, little Lenny wanted to mix up with them; but they were mostly ragged and dirty street children, and I was afeard of fevers, and fleas, and sich, and so I kept him to myself, so I did. Oh, oh, me! I wish I had always kept him to myself, so I do,” sobbed Pina.
“Go on,” said Anna.
“And I saw two ill-looking men in the crowd. And indeed I didn’t think nothing of it at the time, because ill-looking men ain’t no rarity in no city, and that I knew of my own self. And these men, most of their ill-looks was in their dirty and ragged clothes, and bruised and firey faces. And while I was a-takin’ notice of them on the sly, one of ’em says to the other;
“‘There—that’s the young ’un.’
“And the other says:
“‘Which?’
“And the first one stoops and whispers to the other, so I couldn’t hear. And then they fell back out of the crowd a little ways, and began to look into the shop windows unconcerned-like. And indeed, indeed, I had no notion then as they had been talking about little Lenny, such wilyuns as they were, though I have thought so since! Oh, Lenny! oh, dear little Lenny! I wish somebody would knock my brains out, so I do! Oh, dear! oh, dear! oh——!”