“Never mind,” said Mr Cripps, magnanimously, “you’re a light weight. And so you’re taking a dander down town, are you? looking for lollipops, eh?”
Stephen blushed very red at this. However had Mr Cripps guessed about the brandy-balls?
“I came to get a paper for Loman,” he said, “but they’re all sold out.”
“No, are they? I wonder what Mr Loman wants with a paper, now?”
“He said it was very important, and I was to be sure to get one of to-day’s,” said Stephen. “Do you know where I can get one?”
“Of course. Come along with me; I’ve got one at home you can have. And so he said it was very important, did he? That’s queer. There’s nothing in to-day’s paper at all. Only something about a low horse-race. He don’t want it for that, I guess; eh?”
“Oh, no, I shouldn’t think,” said Stephen, trotting along beside his amiable acquaintance.
Mr Cripps was certainly a very friendly man, and as he conducted Stephen to the Cockchafer, Stephen felt quite a liking for him, and couldn’t understand why Oliver and Wraysford both ran him down.
True, Mr Cripps did use some words which didn’t seem exactly proper, but that Stephen put down to the habit of men in that part. The man seemed to take such an interest in boys generally, and in Stephen in particular, and was so interested and amused to hear all about the Guinea-pigs, and the Dominican, and the Sixth versus School, that Stephen felt quite drawn out to him. And then he told Stephen such a lot of funny stories, and treated him with such evident consideration, that the small boy felt quite flattered and delighted.