Ross came to his aid, and procured
him a place as errand-boy, where he was wanted from eight o'clock in the
morning till seven at night; so that he could still open old Oliver's
shop, and fetch him his right papers before he went out, and put the
shutters up when he came back. To become an errand-boy was a good step
forwards, and Tony was more than content. He never ran about bare-headed
and barefooted now as he had done twelve months before; and he had made
such good progress in reading and writing that he could already make out
the directions upon the parcels he had to deliver, after they had been
once read over to him. He did not object to the dry weather and clean
streets as he had done when his living depended upon his crossing; on the
contrary, he enjoyed the sunshine, and the crowds of gaily-dressed
people, for he could hold up his head amongst them, and no longer went
prowling about in the gutters searching after bits of orange-peel. He
kicked them into the gutters instead, mindful of that accident which had
befallen him, but which turned out so full of good for him.
[Illustration: DOLLY'S MONTHLY REGISTER.]
But, if there had been any eye to see it, a very slow, and very sad
change was creeping over Dolly; so slowly indeed, that perhaps none but
her mother's eye could have seen it at first.
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