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"Which way did the lady go?" inquired Barnabas

"Lady?" said the urchin, staring

"Yes She wore a cloak,--a gray cloak Where did she go?" and

Barnabas held up a shilling Instantly the urchin rose and, swinging

the pallid infant to his ragged hip, pattered over the cobbles with

his bare feet, and with one small, dirty claw extended

"A bob!" he cried in a shrill, cracked voice, "gimme it, sir! Yus,

--yus,--I'll tell ye She's wiv Nick--lives dere, she do Now gimme

th' bob,--she's in dere!" And he pointed to a narrow door at the

further end of the alley So Barnabas gave the shilling into the

eager clutching fingers, and approaching the door, knocked upon the

rotting tihty voice Hereupon Barnabas pushed open the

crazy door, and descending three steps, found himself in a small,

dark room, full of the smell of leather And here, its solitary

inmate, was a very small man crouched above a last, with a hammer in

his hand and an open book before him His head was bald save for a

fehite hairs that stood up, fiercely erect, and upon his short,

pugnacious nose he wore a pair of huge, horn-rimmed spectacles

"What's for you, sir?" he de Barnabas over his spectacles with sharp, bright eyes

"If it's a pair o' Hessians you'll be wanting--"