to seat themselves upon a stone bench at the gate of that establishment, soon reappeared from a neighbouring public-house with a pewter measure and a glass.

`Here's master--Mr. Carker, child!' said the old woman, slowly, as her sentiment before drinking. `Lord bless him!'

`Why, I didn't tell you who he was?' observed Rob, with staring eyes.

`We know him by slight,' said Mrs. Brown, whose working mouth and nodding head stopped for the moment, in the fixedness of her attention. `We saw him pass this morning, afore he got off his horse; when you were ready to take it.'

`Aye, aye,' returned Rob, appearing to wish that his readiness had carried him to any other place.--`What's the matter with her? Won't she drink?'

This inquiry had reference to Alice, who, folded in her cloak, sat a little apart profoundly inattentive to his offer of the replenished glass.

The old woman shook her head. `Don't mind her,' she said; `she's a strange creetur, if you know'd her, Rob. But Mr. Carker--'

`Hush!' said Rob, glancing cautiously up at the packer's, and at the bottle-maker's, as if, from any one of the tiers of warehouses, Mr. Carker might be looking down. `Softly.'

`Why, he ain't here!' cried Mrs. Brown.

`I don't know that,' muttered Rob, whose glance even wandered to the church tower, as if he might be there, with a supernatural power of hearing.

`Good master?' inquired Mrs. Brown.

Rod nodded; and added, in a low voice, `precious sharp.'

`Lives out of town, don't he, lovey?' said the old woman.

`When he's at home,' returned Rob; `but we don't live at home just now.'

`Where then?' asked the old woman.

`Lodgings; up near Mr. Dombey's' returned Rob.

The younger woman fixed her eyes so searchingly upon him, and so suddenly, that Rob was quite confounded, and offered the glass again, but with no more effect upon her than before.

`Mr. Dombey--you and I used to talk about him, sometimes, you know,' said Rob to Mrs. Brown. `You used to get me to talk about him.'

The old woman nodded.

`Well, Mr. Dombey, he's had a fall from his horse,' said Rob, unwillingly; `and my master has to be up there, more than usual, either with him, or Mrs. Dombey, or some of 'em; and so we've come to town.'

`Are they good friends, lovey?' asked the old woman.

`Who?' retorted Rob.

`He and she?'