She pointed me to a little chair, and took a little girl on her lap, that was playing on the ground. The little boy whom I had overheard singing looked steadily at me, having viewed me from head to foot. He also, though only six years old, appeared to be not at all perplexed. He was dressed in a very strange way, his wide trousers scarcely reached half-way down the thigh, and his legs were naked to the ankles.—Very indecent, I think. “Do you come to speak to papa?” he asked all of a sudden; and I saw at once that he had been badly brought up, otherwise he would have said “Sir.” But as I was a little out of countenance, and wanted to speak, I replied—
“Yes, my boy, I am here to speak to your papa; do you think he will be in soon?” [[48]]
“I don’t know. He went out to look for money to buy me a box of colours.”
“Be quiet, my boy,” said the woman. “Do play with your pictures or with the puppet-show.”
“You know, mamma, that that gentleman took away everything yesterday.”
It appeared that “a gentleman had been there and taken away everything——” a delightful visit! The woman appeared to be in trouble, for secretly she wiped away her tears, whilst she brought the little girl to her brother.
“There,” said she, “play a little with Nonnie.”—A strange name. And so he did.
“Well, my good woman,” I asked; “do you expect your husband presently?”
“I do not know,”——she replied.
Then the little boy who had been playing with his sister, left her and asked me: