Produced by Al Haines [Illustration: Cover art] [Frontispiece: PLAYMATES. Page 38] [Illustration: Title page] _Alone in London_ _By the Author of "Jessica's First Prayer," "Little Meg's Children," etc._ LONDON: THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY, 56, PATERNOSTER Row; 65, ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD: AND 164, PICCADILLY. Right of Translation Reserved. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. NOT ALONE II. WAIFS AND STRAYS III. A LITTLE PEACEMAKER IV. OLD OLIVER'S MASTER V. FORSAKEN AGAIN VI. THE GRASSHOPPER A BURDEN VII. THE PRINCE OF LIFE VIII. NO PIPE FOR OLD OLIVER IX. A NEW BROOM AND A CROSSING X. HIGHLY RESPECTABLE XI. AMONG THIEVES XII. TONY'S WELCOME XIII. NEW BOOTS XIV. IN HOSPITAL XV. TONY'S FUTURE PROSPECTS XVI. A BUD FADING XVII. A VERY DARK SHADOW XVIII. NO ROOM FOR DOLLY XIX. THE GOLDEN CITY XX. A FRESH DAY DAWNS XXI. POLLY [Illustration: Chapter I headpiece] CHAPTER I. NOT ALONE. It had been a close and sultry day--one of the hottest of the dog-days--even out in the open country, where the dusky green leaves had never stirred upon their stems since the sunrise, and where the birds had found themselves too languid for any songs beyond a faint chirp now and then. All day long the sun had shone down steadily upon the streets of London, with a fierce glare and glowing heat, until the barefooted children had felt the dusty pavement burn under their tread almost as painfully as the icy pavement had frozen their naked feet in the winter. In the parks, and in every open space, especially about the cool splash of the fountains at Charing Cross, the people, who had escaped from the crowded and unventilated back streets, basked in the sunshine, or sought every corner where a shadow could be found. But in the alleys and slums the air was heavy with heat and dust, and thick vapours floated up and down, charged with sickening smells from the refuse of fish and vegetables decaying in the gutters. Overhead the small, straight strip of sky was almost white, and the light, as it fell, seemed to quiver with the burden of its own burning heat.