Dickory Dock | Page 5

tears splashed from his eyes on her little face.
'Oh, what a dear baby she is!' said Flossy. 'Yes, Peter, we'll run away, and we'll take Dickory. Where shall we take her to, Peter?'
'Oh, I don't know,' said Peter. 'We'll get her out of this, that's the first thing. How much money have you got, Flossy?'
'A crooked halfpenny,' said Flossy, in a decided voice.
Peter sighed. He was older than Flossy, and he knew that a crooked halfpenny did not represent a large capital.
'I have got sixpence,' he said; 'that'll buy milk for her. We'll manage quite well, Floss. When mother goes out with her market-basket, we'll slip downstairs with Dickory, and well take her away, and we'll hide her somewhere. She shan't go to no workhouse, the darling pet!'
'No, that she shan't, the dear!' said Flossy. 'It's a lovely plan, Peter, and I'll just go and watch on the top of the stairs for mother to go out with the old market-basket.'
'We'd better take a bag with us,' said Peter. 'The bag will come in very handy; it will hold baby's milk when we buy it, and some bread for you and me; for we may have to walk a long way before we find a nice hiding- place for Dickory.'
Children seldom take long in carrying out their resolutions, and Mrs Franklin, puzzled and anxious, and with no real intention of sending the poor baby to the workhouse, had not long turned the corner of the street before the hall door of the rambling old house was eagerly and nervously opened, and a funny little quartette issued forth. Dickory did not often get the air, and she enjoyed herself very much, sitting well up in Peter's arms, and wrapped up, head and all, in an old tartan shawl. Flossy, holding the bag, walked by her brother's side, and Snip-snap behaved in his usual erratic fashion, now running before, now lingering behind, now stopping to exchange a greeting with a fellow-dog, or to sniff with watering jaws and wistful eyes at a butcher's shop, but always returning faithfully to his charge, and always raising an inquiring face to see if Dickory was quite comfortable. She was thoroughly so, and when she crowed, and laughed, and chuckled, Flossy wondered they had never thought of taking her out before. The sun was shining and the day was bright and warm, with the promise of spring in it, and the two children were highly delighted with their scheme, and not a bit afraid of the result. The only thing which had at all alarmed them was the fear that Mrs Franklin or Martha might find out their little plan before they had time to carry it into effect.
Having succeeded in getting quite away with the baby, they considered their difficulties at an end. Peter was old enough to know that a crooked halfpenny did not mean much, considered as a provision for three human beings and a dog; but he was still sufficiently young to have perfect confidence in the capabilities of sixpence for meeting the demands of the hour. As they walked along, Flossy, Dickory, and Snip- snap were all very happy, and Peter too was happy, although his arms ached sadly. But, alas! the paths of the poor little adventurers were not to be without thorns.
The time was April, and an April shower first damped the ardour of the travellers--the poor baby's shawl was wet through, and she began to cry pitifully with hunger and want of sleep.
'She must want her milk,' said Peter; 'there, Dickory, there's a darling, now go to sleep like the dear baby you are.'
'You know, Peter, she won't go to sleep without her milk,' said Flossy. 'I'll run across to that milk-shop and buy some. How much milk shall I get, Peter?'
'A ha'p'orth,' said Peter; 'you get a ha'p'orth, Flossy, and we'll sit down on the step of this empty house and feed the baby, and eat up our crusts ourselves.'
A bottle to hold the milk was to be found in Flossy's bag, and accordingly in a short time Dickory had a meal; not quite what she was accustomed to, but sufficient to soothe her off into a slumber in which she forgot the discomfort of her damp clothes and all her other baby tribulations.
'Flossy,' said Peter, 'we have gone a long way from home now, and baby is asleep and resting nicely on my knee; my arm won't ache a bit when she wakes, and I'll be able to carry her a splendid long way. We'll have to think of making up our plans, Floss--we'll have to find some place where we can all sleep comfortably to-night.'
'Well, we've got sixpence,' said Flossy, 'that's lots and lots of money; but the night is a long way off, Peter,