Accordingly, they duly attended to bid, and
Tom became the owner of two lots of Diggs's things:--Lot 1, price
one-and-threepence, consisting (as the auctioneer remarked) of a
"valuable assortment of old metals," in the shape of a mouse-trap, a
cheese-toaster without a handle, and a saucepan: Lot 2, of a
villainous dirty table-cloth and green-baize curtain; while East, for
one-and-sixpence, purchased a leather paper-case, with a lock but no
key, once handsome, but now much the worse for wear. But they had still
the point to settle of how to get Diggs to take the things without
hurting his feelings. This they solved by leaving them in his study,
which was never locked when he was out. Diggs, who had attended the
auction, remembered who had bought the lots, and came to their study
soon after, and sat silent for some time, cracking his great red
finger-joints. Then he laid hold of their verses, and began looking over
and altering them, and at last got up, and turning his back to them,
said, "You're uncommon good-hearted little beggars, you two. I value
that paper-case; my sister gave it to me last holidays. I won't
forget." And so he tumbled out into the passage, leaving them somewhat
embarrassed, but not sorry that he knew what they had done.
The next morning was Saturday, the day on which the allowances of one
shilling a week were paid--an important event to spendthrift youngsters;
and great was the disgust amongst the small fry to hear that all the
allowances had been impounded for the Derby lottery.
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