At length, late in the afternoon, he succumbed to the influence of excitement, and fell asleep. And then Meg made his pallet with one hand, while she held him with the other, and laid him down.
Leaving him asleep, she went out and spent her last three-pence left of the shilling, and bought him a mug of milk and a penny-roll for his supper. These she brought home, and put away. And then she sat down to watch by the sleeping boy.
That evening Everage came in before the return of the others.
“I am glad I have found you alone, my girl,” he said. “I have brought a little money to buy some clean bedding for the boy, and I think I would rather trust you to spend it than another. Can you do it?”
“Oh, yes, sir.”
“It doesn’t take much to buy cheap bedding for a baby and the cheaper you can get this the better, so it is clean. Here are ten shillings; will that do?”
“Yes, sir; and if there’s any over I will keep it to buy milk for him.”
“Quite right. And now let me look at him,” said Everage, going up and gazing on the sleeping child.
There was a tear resting on little Lenny’s rosy cheeks, which Everage in his awakening remorse could not endure to see; so he quickly turned away his head, and he asked Meg:
“Has the child cried much to-day?”