All right, mum, I says; and takes em back another way, allers following the same plan; and at last pulls up at the house where I supposed they was lodgers, for thats a rare place for lodgings about there.
I has the young lady leaning on my arm when she gets out, and when she was at the door she says, Thank you again, so sweetly and sadly that it almost upset me. But the old lady directly after asked me the fare, and I tells her, and she gives me sixpence too much, and though I wanted to pocket it, I wouldnt, but hands it back.
Thank you, cabman, she says; thats for being so kind and attentive to my poor child.
God bless her, mum, I says, I dont want paying for that.
Then she smiles quite pleasant, and asks me if it would be worth my while to call again the next afternoon if it was fine, and I says it would; and next day, just in the same way, I goes right off past Primrose Hill, and seeing as what they wanted was the fresh air, I makes the best o my way right out, and then, when we was amongst the green trees, Kangaroo and me takes it easy, and just saunters along. Going up hill I walks by his head, and picks at the hedges, while them two, seeing as I took no notice of em, took no notice o me. I mean, you know, treated me as if we was old friends, and asked me questions about the different places we passed, and so on.
Bimeby I drives em back, and the old lady again wanted to give me something extra for what she called my kind consideration; but No, Stevey, I says to myself; if you cant do a bit o kindness without being paid for it, youd better put up the shutters, and take to some other trade. So I wouldnt have it, and the old lady thought I was offended; but I laughed, and told her as the young lady had paid me; and so she had, with one of her sad smiles, and I said Id be there again nex day if it was fine.
And so I was; and so we went on, day after day, and week after week; and I could see that, though the sight of the country and the fresh air brightened the poor girl up a bit, yet he was getting weaker and weaker, so that, at last, I half carried her to the cab, and back again after the ride. One day, while I was waiting, the servant tells me that they wouldnt stay in town, only on account of a great doctor, as they went to see at first, but who came to them now; and, last of all, when I went to the house, I used always to be in a fidget for fear the poor gal should be too ill to come out. But no, month after month she kep on; and when I helped her, used to smile so sweetly, and talk so about the trouble she gave me, that one day, feeling a bit low, I turned quite silly, and happening to look at her poor mother a-standing there with the tears in her eyes, I had to hurry her in, trod get up on to my seat as quick as I could, to keep from breaking down myself.
Poor gal! always so loving and kind to all about her always thanking one so sweetly, and looking all the while so much like what one would think an angel would look it did seem so pitiful to feel her get lighter and lighter, week by week so feeble, that, at last, I used to go upstairs to fetch her, and always carried her down like a child.
Then she used to laugh, and say, Dont let me fall, Stephen, for they got to call me by my name, and to know the missus, by her coming in to help a bit; for the old lady asked me to recommend em an honest woman, and I knowed none honester than my wife. And so it was with everybody it didnt matter who it was they all loved the poor gal; and Ive had the wife come home and sit and talk about her, and about our Fanny
as died, till shes been that upset shes cried terribly.
Autumn came in werry wet and cold, and there was an end to my jobs there. Winter was werry severe, but I kep on hearing from the missus how the poor gal was sometimes better, sometimes worse; and the missus allus shook her head werry sadly when she talked about her.
Jennywerry and Feberwerry went by terribly cold, and then March came in quite warm and fine, so that things got so forrard, you could buy radishes wonderful cheap in April; and one night the wife comes home and tells me that if it was as fine nex day as it had been, I was to call, and take the old lady and her daughter out.
Nex day was splendid. It was as fine a spring day as ever I did see, and I sticks a daffy-down-dilly in on each side of Kangaroos head, and then spends twopence in a couple o bunches o wilets, and pins em in on the side where the poor gal used to sit, puts clean straw in the boot, and then drives to the place with the top lid open, so as to sweeten the inside, because swells had been smoking there that morning.
Jest run yer sponge and leather over the apron a bit, Buddy, I says to our waterman, afore I left the stand.
Got a wedding on? he says, seeing how pertickler I was.
There, look alive! I says, quite snappish; for I didnt feel in a humour to joke; and then, when Id got all as I thought right, I drives up, keeping the lid open, as I said afore.
When I draws up, I puts the nose-bag on the old horse, for him to amuse himself with, and so as I could leave him, for he wouldnt stir an inch with that bag on, to please all the pleacemen in London. Then I rings, and waits, and at last gets my orders to go and help the young lady down.