But Mrs. Martin saw neither his tears nor his misery. Before the revelation he had unwittingly made, both her charity and her Christian principle gave way. What creature was this she had taken into the shelter of her respectable house? had fed, and offered hospitality and kind words to? a little gamin from the London streets, a child whose mother was in prison, convicted of a crime, perhaps a crime of murder, at least convicted of a heinous crime! of course the child of such a person must be a thief, a rogue, all--all that was bad. There was no saying what petty pilferings he had already committed. What a lucky thing she had desired Betty to remain with him in the scullery, or where now would be her silver spoons? These thoughts passed rapidly through her mind, though still she considered herself too good a Christian to be actually unkind to Robin. She would say no unkind word to him, she would not even search him--though, it must be owned, she rather longed to thrust her hands into the pockets of the ragged boy. No, she would dismiss him quickly, but with no word of reproach. "You must go away, child," she said. "You must leave this place at once, and never come back again. Now! do you hear? I am sorry I cannot help you further. Betty," turning to her handmaid, "see this boy to the gate; put him out, and lock it after him. You understand me, Betty? you are to lock the gate, and bring me back the key." CHAPTER III. _THE SHELTER OF THE STREETS._ That night Robin slept under a haycock. He slept very soundly, and far more comfortably than he would have done had he remained in London. Nevertheless, he awoke the next morning with a sore feeling at his heart. His plan of yesterday had failed utterly. No one was kind enough to him to take him to prison. He had tried to go to the Lock-up, but no one would take him there. It never occurred to him that by committing an open theft he might attain his object; at least, he might so far attain it as to see the inside of a prison. Robin had been too carefully trained by his thief companions to make open pilfering possible to him. The glory of stealing, was to steal unseen--so thought this ill-taught child. That night, after losing his way many times, and asking many persons to direct him, he found his way back to London; and so ended his first real adventure without Helen. He was now truly alone in London, and between his previous life and the life that lay before him there was a great and unhappy difference.