Sturdy and Strong

she came out of the infirmary, and as he had kindly said that he would render her help if he could, would he be good enough to write t

had written to the agent, and that he was glad indeed to hear that Georg

r-time Mrs. Grimstone

o in when you like. We shall be sorry to lose you both, for I don't want two better lodgers. You don't give no trouble, and all has been quiet and pleasant in the house; and to think what a taking I wa

what's the price of a thing he leaves it or takes it just as he likes, but a woman begins by offering half the sum. Then the chap says no, and she makes as if she was going away; he lets her go a little way and then he hollers after her, and comes down a goodish bit in the price. Then she says she don't particularly want it and shouldn't think of giving any such price as that. Then he tries again, and so they gets on till they hit on a figure as suits them both. You see that little t

s were marked as doubtful. When the list was finished the two boys started on an exploring expedition, and the next week all their evenings were fully occupied. In ten days after they began the three bedrooms and the kitchen we

with the chintz curtains the missis made up is as nice a little room as

ing off; for it was agreed that this was necessary to give the house a furnished appearance. Bob Grimstone was so much pleased at what had

ot under a five-pound note, not even with the missis to market for you, but you might for that. I have got a little money laid by in the sav

's savings and mine; and in the next place, I should find it hard at first to pay back anything. I think we can just manage on our money, but that will be all. I told

t to take it. I borrowed a little money when I first went into housekeeping, and it took a wonderful trouble to pay off, and if there's il

orked away at digging up the garden. Fortunately there was a moon, for it was dark by the time they came out from the works. Bill was charged with the commission to lay i

s mother had told him that she would meet him at the gate at half-past two, and punctually at the time he was there. A few minutes later Mrs. Andrews came

and you are looking

r me. Everyone has been very kind; and of course the knowledge, dear boy, that you had got work that yo

or me. I told him over and over again that you are not that sort; but nothing can persuade him. Of course, mother, he doesn't talk good grammar, and he uses some queer expressions; but he is very much changed in

him as much as you do if there were not something nice about him. And you have succeeded in getting a room for me in the house in which you lodge?" for George had

right, mother," h

ou last, George. You wanted them; yours were get

ther, th

with your best suit while y

s. I am not walking too fast for you, am I? But we shall just catch the train. Or look here, would you mind going straight by yourself to the railway station? Then you

kept it for me so long. Even if we do miss the train it will not matter much,

at their old lodging, as Mrs. Larkins insisted upon their having a cup of tea which she had prepared for them. However, when they reached the

herself was tired from her walk to the station from the infirmary, having had no exercise for so long. When they got into the neighbor

down and opened the door. "Why, you told me in one of your letters it wa

Bill, having opened the door, ran away out into the garden, and George, havin

er, into the littl

s she entered it; "and tea all laid and ready! Wh

this is your kitchen and your house, all there is of it, only the

oy! that is very nice; but can we afford

hen we have got it all furnished. Now come up and see the bedrooms. This is Bill's, you

and the hire of the furniture will surely be more than we can afford to pay. I know what a good m

can afford that out of Bill's earnings and mine, even if you did not do any work at all; a

ars of happiness. She was not very strong, and the thought of the sacrifices these

, you have only been earning ten shillings a week each, and you have had to

both learned to live cheap in Covent Garden; but now let us go dow

, and George had to go out i

elighted with everything. S

t-and-out sort of 'ottentot," which word had turned up in

ll she says so

drew him along, and brought him sha

s Bill,

holding out her hand. "I have heard so much of yo

his hand

rews went on. "I shall never forget that you were a

h starving, and sure to get quadded sooner or later; and now here I am living decent, and earning a good wage; and he has taught me to read, ma'am, and to know about things, and ai

to your self-denial as well as to his own that I owe this delightful surprise of finding a home ready for me; and now," she went on, seeing how confu

r; Bill, you do the rashers, and I will pour the

ad generally fallen to his share, as he had a greater aptitude for the work

ss, hunted expression of his eyes had nearly died out, and he no longer looked as if constantly on the watch to dodge an expected cuff; his face had always had a large share of that merriment and love of fun which seem the common portion of the London arabs, and seldom desert them

ng that although she was a guest, as the only lady present she should naturally preside. George cut the brea

ing of pride and thankfulness at the evidence of the love, steadiness, and self-sacrifice of her son. George was delighted at having his mother with him again, and at seeing her happiness and

would like to talk together for a time-said he should take a turn for an hour, and on getting outside the house executed so wild a war

e a good-hearted lad; but brought up as he has been, poor boy, I feared a little that he would scarcely be a desirable companion in poi

o tell him of anything he does which is not right, especially about eating and that sort of thing. You see he had never used a fork till we came down here, and he

taught him to

, mo

better things, G

oes to church with me now regularly, and says his prayers every night, and I can t

ou as much good as you

went on a little shyly, for George had not been accustomed to talk much of these matters with his mother-"you see when one's down in the world and hard up, and

e blessings one has the more reason for love and gratitude to the giver. H

don't mean to be separated, and I have got a place I like and have a good chance of getting on in, and we have got a pretty little house all to ourselves, and you wi

, in the proofs you have given me that my son is

r was a ve

s and George's, for I hope now that he's settled he will give up an hour or two every evening to study. Not Latin and Greek, George," she added, smiling, seeing a look of something like dismay in George's face, "that will be only a waste of time to you now, but a study of such things as may be useful to you in your present work and in your future life, and a steady c

, it will be really like old tim

en for a moment, the happiness of this first evening. So they chatted till nine o'clock, when they had supper. After it wa

this first happy evening in our new home b

," George said, and Bill's

d thanked God for his blessings, and the custom thus b

doing their best, and, finding the lads intent upon their work and given neither to idleness nor skylarking, they seldom had a sharp word addressed to them. But after Mrs. Andrews had come home they found themselves addressed in a warmer and more kindly manner by the men. Bob Grimstone had told two or three of his mates of the sacrifices the boys had made to save up money to make a home for the mo

tint himself like that to make a home for the gal he is going to make his wife, so as to start housekeeping out of debt; and as to doing it for a mother, where will you find 'em? In

f the men, when they met them at the gate, would give th

e an excellent reference to the firm for whom she had worked at Croydon she succeeded before the end of the week in obtaining millinery work for a firm in St

e bought first, and each week there was great congratulation and pleasure as some new article was placed in the rooms. Then there was a pause for some time, then came the chairs, then after an interval a table, and lastly the carpet. This crowning glory wa

on, but I think there's something in the old saying, 'Company clothes, company manners,' and I think it is good when boys come in that they should lay aside their heavy-nailed shoes and their working clothes. Certainly such

him that it would be rather a trouble to change his clothes every

for a place the chances are strongly in favor of the man with the best manners getting it. Besides, my boy, I think the observance of little courtesies of this kind make home pleasanter and brighter. You see I always chan

mean now. Certainly I will change my thing

could give the slightest satisfaction to Mrs. Andrews, who had now a pla

as not carried out as arranged, for at the end of April

you must therefore cut short our reading and studies till the days close

u come with

s in the park, or take a steamer and go up the river to Kew; but as a general thing you had better take your rambles together. I have my front gar

watch the barges drifting down the river or tacking backwards and forwards, if there was a wind, with their great brown and yellow sails hauled tautly in, and the great steamers dropping quietly do

George," Bill said one day, "whe

George

tossed about, and the sea go over them, as one reads about,

own,

boats about; it don't seem possible that water

ck one of those great steamers in pieces. Some day, Bill, not this year, of course, because the house isn't finished, but next year, I hope we shall be able all of us to go down for a trip to the se

unsatisfactory, and Mrs. Andrews was delighted with her regular supply of fresh vegetables. Bill's anticipation, however, of the amount that could be grown in a limited space were by no means fulfilled, and seeing the small amount which could be daily

lness. She grew stronger and better than she had ever expected to be again, and those who had only known the pale, harassed-looking needlewoman of Croydon would not have recognized her now; indeed, as George said sometimes, his mother looked younger and younger every day. She had married very young, and was still scarcely five-and-thirty, and although she laughed and said that George was a foo