In a few minutes the exhausted man fell asleep, and Joey remained sitting by his side for nearly two hours. At last, his new companion awoke, raised himself up, and, dipping his handkerchief into the saucepan of water, washed the blood from his head and face.
“This might have been worse, my little fellow,” said he to Joey, after he had wiped his face; “one of those rascals nearly throttled me, he pulled my handkerchief so tight. Well, this is a wicked world, this, to take away a fellow-creature’s life for thirteenpence-halfpenny, for that was all the money they found in my pocket. I thought an itinerant tinker was safe from highway robbery, at all events. Did you not say that they attacked you, or did I dream it?”
“I did say so; it was no dream.”
“And how did a little midge like you escape?”
Joey gave the tinker a detail of what had occurred.
“Cleverly done, boy, and kindly done now to come to my help, and to remain by me. I was going down the road, and as you have come down, I presume we are going the same way,” replied the tinker.
“Do you feel strong enough to walk now?”
“Yes, I think I can; but there’s the grindstone.”
“Oh, I’ll wheel that for you.”
“Do, that’s a good boy, for I tremble very much, and it would be too heavy for me now.”