"Are you hungry?"
"Yes, sir."
"Very well. Then tell my wife to give you a bite."
Manuel accompanied the cart into the hollow over an embankment of rubbish. The ragdealer's house was the largest in the vicinity and had a yard as well as an adjoining shed.
Manuel stopped before the door of the hut; an old woman came out to meet him.
"What do you want, kid?" she asked. "Who sent you here?"
"Señor Custodio. He told me to ask you where to put the stuff that's in the cart."
The woman pointed out the shed.
"He told me also," added the boy, "to say that you should give me something to eat."
"I know you, you foxy creature," mumbled the old woman. And after grumbling for a long time and waiting for Manuel to dump out the contents of the cart, she gave him a slice of bread and a piece of cheese.